A Ready-Made Spy
by Insert Clever Potter Name Here
Summary: Inspired by something Remus said in HBP- Tonks becomes Yaxley for a night, attending a Death Eater meetings. When the meeting goes wrong, who saves her? And how can she cope with the aftermath? Rated M for dark themes: abuse, non-con, torture. Remus/Tonks, Alive!Sirius, GoodGuy!Snape(which I mean, he technically was anyway I guess)DH-based.
1. Chapter 1

_**Alright, so I'm not sure how many people followed me way back when, when I wrote some pretty dark stuff- darker than my current stories have been. (which have all been deleted(or most, idk) in a sad attempt at healing from past experiences. spoiler alert: it did not work)**_

 _ **So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such.**_

 _ **But it was also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ *******And since I don't own HP, I don't own the parts of DH Chapter 1 you will see in this chapter*******_

* * *

"It's alright, we've got you." Remus whispered in her ear, carrying her up the garden path. Sirius walked ahead, opening the door of the dark house. He continued ahead, as Remus spoke softly to Tonks, but he was sure she was unconscious.

He had shoved a book and most of the extra pillows off the couch, leaving a single pillow on the end. He walked to the hallway, grabbing a thin blanket from the closet and returning just as Remus set her down.

"We need to get her robes off." Sirius said, handing Remus the blanket. "To heal the wounds-"

"Can you get Dittany?" Remus asked, setting the blanket on the arm of the couch and leaning over her again, grabbing the collar of her ruined shirt, ripping half of the buttons off. Sirius nodded, leaving the room quickly.

Remus noticed small bruises covering her chest and stomach, he even noticed a clear hand shaped bruise on one of her hips, and felt sick. They must have used Slicing Charms or a knife, these cuts were far too long and deep to have happened when she had been beaten.

Remus folded the blanket, covering her bare chest, just as Sirius returned, holding out the Dittany.

"The worst one is here, on her stomach." Remus said, taking the small from Sirius. "The others I can probably heal with spells."

Remus uncorked the Dittany, dropping a few drops on the wound. "What if we hadn't found her tonight?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. "It doesn't matter, because we did." He said. "I just want to know why she didn't come back when she was supposed to."

"I'll make some tea, do you want some?" Sirius asked, and Remus nodded. Sirius went into the kitchen, and Remus shifted the blanket to cover her entirely, lifting her upper body to sit with her partially on his lap. He ran a hand over her hair, his wedding ring glinting in the soft light, a harsh reminder that this was his wife- and he had made no objections to her walking into a den of snakes. His wife, and he hadn't protected her- perhaps he should have gone with her, but he couldn't. They had taken one Death Eater, subdued him long enough so that Tonks could morph into him and go, but Yaxley had escaped and Tonks never returned.

Remus had spent the first week of July, confused. He wanted to marry her, be with her, but could he be either? The second week, they got married. The third, she had vanished.

Now they were a few days from getting Harry from his Muggle family's- a mission Tonks wasn't going to participate in anyway, due to an uneven amount of volunteers.

"I'm sorry, Dora." Remus said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "We should have sent someone else."

* * *

"It's a few hours, Remus." She whispered, pressing her wedding ring into his hand. "You won't even miss me."

"Dora, if they figure it out-"

"If I don't trip, I should be fine." She said, placing a hand on either side of his face, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I have to go, so they don't suspect."

"And you remember everything Yaxley told you?" Moody asked.

"Yes." Tonks said, turning away from Remus. "And you're sure he wasn't lying?"

"He couldn't." Kingsley said. "Not with Veritaserum."

She nodded. "I'll be back, then." She said. She walked towards the kitchen of Kingsley's home, standing in front of Yaxley, who was bound to a kitchen chair. It had been easy, with so many men among the Order, to find robes that would be passable for Death Eater robes. Under the robes, she wore a button up shirt and jeans of Kingsley's, simply so she'd be able to remove the robe later if she needed to escape on foot- it'd be far easier moving around in Muggle clothes.

She focused on all of his features, feeling herself become taller- because she knew he was taller than her. She was always uncomfortable when had to full body morph into someone else.

"His wand." Sirius said, handing her his wand. In turn, she handed her own to Sirius, who pocketed it without a word.

"Is it accurate?" She asked, after focusing on keeping her voice as she knew Yaxley's to be.

He nodded. "If You-Know-Who uses Legilimency, however..."

"Then I suppose I've died for a good cause." She said.

"I'd give you a hug, but you're revolting right now." Sirius said.

"Good to know. I'll be back in a few hours, if I'm not-"

"You will be." Sirius said, his voice tense. "Good luck."

She gave him a nod, leaving Kingsley's house, walking quickly to the Apparition point. She reappeared in the lane, just as another figured appeared. They had both drawn their wands, pointing their wands at each other's chest.

For a moment she wondered if she should kill Snape and flee- after all, he had betrayed the Order- but then Snape put his wand away, and she did the same. She couldn't arouse suspicion, she had a task to do.

"News?" She asked in Yaxley's deep tone as they walked briskly.

"The best." Snape replied curtly.

"Thought I might be late." She said. ""It was a little trickier than I expected. But I hope he will be satisfied. You sound confident that your reception will be good?"

Snape nodded, but said nothing. They continued walking briskly, passing the manicured hedges and approaching the gates, both raising their left arms momentarily.

 _Oh, Merlin, I hope this isn't where I'm outed._

She was surprised when she wasn't, she had been able to pass the gates as if she was truly Yaxley. There was a rustle to their right, and she drew her wand immediately, pointing it above Snape's head as a white peacock strutted along the top of the hedge.

"He always did himself well, Lucius." She scoffed. " _Peacocks_..." She gave a deep snort, stowing her wand away.

They continued and the door swung open as they approached, although no one had visibly opened it. She walked a step behind Snape, because she had no idea where they were going, but she had to make it look as though she weren't following him.

They approached large wooden doors, and for a short moment, neither moved. And then Severus Snape turned the bronze doorknob, and Nymphadora Tonks entered her first Death Eater meeting.

"Yaxley, Snape, you are very nearly late."

The drawing room was full of silent people sitting at a large table, most of its furniture pushed to the edges of the room. The only light came from a roaring fire in a handsome marble mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror. Snape and Tonks lingered for a moment on the threshold. As her eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light, Tonks' eyes were drawn to a strange sight.

Above the table, an apparently unconscious human was dangling, reflected in the mirror-like surface of the table below. None of the people seated underneath this singular sight were looking at it except for a pale young man sitting almost directly below it, who Tonks recognised as Draco Malfoy, who kept glancing upwards at the form every few moments.

Voldemort was sitting directly in front of the fire and, at first, it was difficult to see him properly. As they stepped forward together, his face shone through the gloom, hairless, snakelike, with slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes whose pupils were vertical.

"Severus, here." He said, indicating the seat on his immediate right. "Yaxley- beside Dolohov."

They took their seats, most of the eyes in the room following Snape. _Good_ , she thought to herself.

Voldemort spoke to Snape first. "So?"

"My Lord, the Order of the Phoenix intends to move Harry Potter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at nightfall."

Tonks managed to hide her surprise- how did he know? Luckily, her glance at Snape was not the only movement.

"Saturday... at nightfall." Voldemort repeated, looking at Snape intently. Tonks noticed a few others looked away from the duo, and almost felt the need to do the same. "Good, very good. And this information..."

"Comes from the source we discussed." Snape said.

 _What source?_ Tonks wondered, and then remember what Yaxley had admitted earlier.

"My Lord." She said in Yaxley's deep voice. "I have heard differently."

Voldemort's gaze shifted to her, and she leaned forward slightly. "Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen."

Snape was smiling slightly. "My source told me that there are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time; he is known to be susceptible."

 _Bastard._ "I assure you, My Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain." She continued.

"If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain." said Snape. "I assure you, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have infiltrated the Ministry."

That much was true, the Order was certain the Death Eaters had infiltrated- but if Snape said they merely _believed_ , perhaps it wasn't true at all.

"The Order's got one thing right, then, eh?" A small man a few seats away said with a wheezy giggle.

"My Lord, Dawlish has said an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy." She said, and it wasn't _untrue_ \- there were Aurors among the Order.

Voldemort held up a hand and she fell silent, watching as he turned back to Snape. "Where are they going to hide the boy next?"

"At the home of someone in the Order." Snape said. "The place, according to the source, has been given every protection that the Order and Ministry together could provide. I think that there is little chance of taking him once he is there, my Lord, unless, of course, the Ministry has fallen before next Saturday, which might give us the opportunity to discover and undo enough of the enchantments to break through the rest."

"Well, Yaxley, _will_ the Ministry have fallen by next Saturday?" Voldemort asked, once again turning to her.

"My Lord, I have good news on that score. I have—with difficulty, and after great effort—succeeded in placing an Imperius Curse upon Pius Thicknesse." She said, remembering what Yaxley had said earlier. Many at the table looked impressed, and she felt Dolohov clap her in the back.

"It is a start." said Voldemort. "But Thicknesse is only one man. Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act. One failed attempt on the Minister's life will set me back a long way."

"Yes—my Lord, that is true—but you know, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact not only with the Minister himself, but also with the Heads of all the other Ministry departments. It will, I think, be easy now that we have such a high-ranking official under our control, to subjugate the others, and then they can all work together to bring Scrimgeour down." She said.

"As long as our friend Thicknesse is not discovered before he has converted the rest." said Voldemort. "At any rate, it remains unlikely that the Ministry will be mine before next Saturday. If we cannot touch the boy at his destination, then it must be done while he travels."

"We are at an advantage there, my Lord." She continued, remembering more of what Yaxley had said. "We now have several people planted within the Department of Magical Transport. If Potter Apparates or uses the Floo Network, we shall know immediately."

"He will not do either." Snape said, and Tonks felt an overwhelming sense of anger. "The Order is eschewing any form of transport that is controlled or regulated by the Ministry; they mistrust everything to do with the place."

 _How does Snape know all of this?_ She wondered. _Who was betraying them?_

"All the better." Voldemort said. "He will have to move in the open. Easier to take, by far."

Tonks stared at the table. If she went back and told the Order that the Death Eaters knew, would they be able to make a new plan in time?

"I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumphs." Voldemort continued, his red eyes watching the slowly revolving form above the table.

She wasn't even sure he was talking to any of them, it almost felt like he was talking to himself instead. She watched him carefully, hoping the meeting could end soon, on the chance he became suspicious. She wanted to be long gone by the time they figured it out.

"I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best-laid plans. But I know better now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be."

There was a loud wailing, seemingly coming from beneath their feet and Tonks realised she was not the only Death Eater to look down on pure impulse.

"Wormtail, have I not spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?" Voldemort asked, without lowering his eyes from the revolving form.

Tonks hadn't realised Wormtail was even there, until he spoke and she realised the chair she assumed to be empty had only looked that way because he was sitting so low.

"Yes, m-my Lord." He gasped, standing and rushing from the room.

Voldemort now lowered his eyes, seemingly surveying them. Many dropped their eyes, so when his eyes passed over her, she did not stand out when she did the same.

"As I was saying, I understand better now." He continued. "I understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter."

She noticed a lot of the other Death Eaters seemed shocked, and she wondered for a brief moment if anyone would volunteer for such a task. After all, wouldn't it be a high honour to be the one who gave their wand to Lord Voldemort for him to kill Harry?

"No volunteers?" Voldemort asked, looking around. "Let's see… Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand anymore."

Tonks now wondered if she should thank Kingsley and Moody for sending her here- there was a certain pleasure to seeing Lucius in his current state. His skin was almost yellowish, appearing waxy in the candlelight. His eyes were sunken and shadowed, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke.

"My Lord?"

"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand." Voldemort said.

"I..." Lucius began, glancing sideways at Narcissa, who stared straight ahead and did not move. A moment later, Lucius reached into his robes and withdrew his wand, passing it down to Voldemort, who took it and examined it carefully.

"What is it?" Voldemort asked, his red eyes focused on the wand in his hands.

"Elm, my Lord."

"And the core?"

"Dragon- dragon heartstring."

"Good." Voldemort said, drawing out his own wand, comparing the lengths. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, a very slight movement from Lucius, and Voldemort spoke again. "My wand, Lucius? Give you _my_ wand?"

Some of the table occupants snickered, and Voldemort continued speaking. "I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late… What is it about my presence in your home that displaces you, Lucius?" He asked.

"Nothing- nothing, my Lord!"

"Such _lies_ , Lucius..."

Voldemort's voice seemed to hiss on even after the cruel mouth had stopped moving. One or two of the wizards barely repressed a shudder as the hissing grew louder; something heavy could be heard sliding across the floor beneath the table, and Tonks knew exactly what was about to make an appearance. Sure enough, the snake appeared, slithering up Voldemort's chair, coming to a rest around his shoulders.

Voldemort stroked it with the tips of his fingers, seemingly mindlessly, his eyes never leaving Lucius' face.

"Why do the Malfoys look so unhappy with their lot? Is my return, my rise to power, not the very thing they professed to desire for so many years?"

"Of course, my Lord." Lucius said. His hand shook as he wiped sweat from his upper lip. "We did desire it—we do."

To Lucius' left, Narcissa made an odd, stiff nod, her eyes averted from Voldemort and the snake. To his right, Draco glanced quickly at Voldemort and then away again.

"My Lord." Bellatrix said, her voice thick with emotion. "It is an honor to have you here, in our family's house. There can be no higher pleasure."

"No higher pleasure. That means a great deal, Bellatrix, coming from you." Voldemort said, his head tilted slightly as he considered Bellatrix.

"My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!" Bellatrix said, leaning forward in a strange attempt at being closer to Voldemort.

"No higher pleasure... Even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has occurred in your family this week?"

Bellatrix blinked, clearly confused by Voldemort's words. "I do not know what you mean, my Lord."

"I'm talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud."

Tonks was startled- they knew. _The Death Eaters knew?_ Most of the table erupted into jeering laughter. Many leaned forward to exchange gleeful looks, a few thumped the table with their fists. The giant snake, disliking the disturbance, opened its mouth wide and hissed angrily, but the Death Eaters did not hear it, they were enjoying the embarrassment of the Malfoy family far too much. Bellatrix's face flushed blotchy and red, and she shouted above the noise.

"She is no niece of ours, my Lord!" She cried. "We—Narcissa and I—have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries!"

Even though it was startling to hear that the Death Eaters now knew she was married, she couldn't help but feel the urge to laugh at the fact Bellatrix was _so_ bothered by this news.

However, Voldemort's next words doused the feeling.

"What say you, Draco? Will you babysit the cubs?"

Draco looked horror stricken, as he looked towards his father for some kind of sign at what to do. His father made no move, but his mother gave a very small shake of her head and Draco's eyes returned to studying the table.

"Enough." Voldemort said, still stroking the angry snake. "Enough."

The laughter died at once.

"Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time." Voldemort said, and Bellatrix looked at him eagerly. "You must prune yours, must you not, to keep it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest."

Bellatrix grinned, her eyes swimming with tears. "Yes, my Lord! At the first chance!"

 _Oh bullocks,_ Tonks thought to herself. Now there was no chance that she going to make it out of here alive if they figured her out.

"You shall have it." Voldemort said. "And in your family, so in the world… we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remain…"

 _Oh, good. If Bellatrix wasn't truly trying to kill me before, she'll definitely try now._

Voldemort had raised Lucius' wand, pointing it at the figure suspended above the table. With a tiny flick, the figure came to life, writhing and groaning against the bonds.

"I trust you recognise our guest, Severus?" Voldemort asked, and Tonks saw Snape's eyes look at the figure's face.

She looked as well, her heart skipping a bit, when the figure cried out. "Severus, help me!" Her voice cracked and trembled, and Tonks felt horrible.

"And you, Draco?" Voldemort asked, but Draco shook his head quickly without even looking at the figure.

"But you would not have taken her classes." Voldemort continued. "For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

There were small noises of comprehension around the table. A broad, hunched woman with pointed teeth cackled.

"Yes… Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles… how they are not so different from us…" Voldemort continued, and a Death Eater Tonks didn't recognise spat on the floor.

"Severus… please… please…" Charity Burbage pleaded.

"Silence," said Voldemort, with another twitch of Malfoy's wand, and Charity fell silent as if gagged. "Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of Wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defense of Mudbloods in the Daily Prophet. Wizards, she says, must accept these thieves of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the purebloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance… She would have us all mate with Muggles… or, no doubt, werewolves…"

Nobody laughed this time, probably due to the tone Voldemort's voice had taken on.

He raised Lucius' wand. " _Avada Kedavra."_

Charity fell with a loud crash onto the table below, which creaked and trembled. Voldemort stopped stroking the snake. "Nagini, dinner." He said, and the snake slithered from his shoulders onto the table.

Death Eaters were standing now, clearly this had been the cue that the meeting ended. Tonks stood among the crowd, hoping to make the exit quickly- she had to relay the information to the Order.

"Yaxley, Severus, if you would join us in the library." Voldemort's clear voice said as he stood. "Lucius, Bellatrix, you and your family as well."

Voldemort swept from the room, the Malfoys and Bellatrix following. Tonks and Snape were the last to follow, and she debated fleeing the Manor.

Later on, she realised that she should have fled.


	2. Chapter 2

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

* * *

"She should be back by now." Remus said quietly, pacing around the quiet kitchen of the Burrow.

"We don't know how long the meetings are-" Kingsley began.

"Never more than a couple of hours." Remus said. "We _watched_ Malfoy Manor, we saw some of them arrive and leave! It was never this long!"

"I think we should go to the Manor, just to see if we can tell if anyone is still there." Sirius said. "We need to move fast, though, because Yaxley is probably half way there, if not already there."

Remus sighed. An hour after Tonks had left, they had gone into Kingsley's living room to discuss the mission, and Yaxley had regained consciousness. They admitted the mistake had been leaving Arthur all alone with Yaxley, because now Yaxley was gone. He had managed to get out of his bonds, overpower Arthur, steal Arthur's wand and leave. And now Tonks was gone, perhaps still at Malfoy Manor, Yaxley on his way to break her cover.

"I'm going." Remus said, heading for the door. "I'm going to Malfoy Manor, I'm finding out what happened."

"I'll come with you." Sirius said immediately, following him.

They spent hours outside of Malfoy Manor. They walked around the perimeter of the Manor, knowing they couldn't possibly pass the enchantments, but hoping for some sign to tell them what had happened. From the outside, however, the Manor was silent, and the two men returned home to Remus' house empty handed.

Remus didn't sleep that night, and neither did Sirius. Remus waited all night for that now-familiar wolf patronus to appear, or for her to come stumbling through door, but as the sun began to rise, he felt like the chances were growing slim that either of those would happen.

* * *

"I am curious, Yaxley, if you know which Aurors might take part in moving the boy." Voldemort said, standing in front of the library's fireplace, facing the flames.

"No, my Lord."

"Dawlish told you the plan, but gave no names?"

"No, he didn't, my Lord." She repeated, her heart pounding. _God, he must suspect._

"My Lord, might I inquire as to why you asked for my presence?" Snape asked, his black eyes watching Voldemort intently.

"We have a very unique advantage right now, Severus." Voldemort said. "Would you like to know what it is, Yaxley?"

She said nothing, her heart pounding.

"No?" Voldemort asked, turning to face her. "Perhaps you already know, _Nymphadora_."

Bellatrix's eyes gleamed, looking at Tonks intently. "My Lord, you suspect this is an impostor?" She asked.

"Suspect, Bellatrix? That implies I would not know." Voldemort said. "How very clever, I must say. To use a Metamorphmagus in such a way, to infiltrate us. You have no time limit, Nymphadora, isn't that correct? And the Order used Veritaserum to get Yaxley to tell you all of that information, is that also correct?"

She said nothing.

"I wonder, if there's a way to force a Metamorphmagus to drop a disguise?" Voldemort asked. "Tell me, Nymphadora. Is there?" When she didn't respond, he turned to Bellatrix. "Perhaps you can convince her, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix grinned, whipping her wand out and aiming it at Tonks. " _Crucio_!"

She fell with a scream and she knew, before she hit the ground, her morph dropped. Bellatrix laughed gleefully, releasing the curse. She stayed on the ground, gasping in pain.

"It is her! The Order sent her straight to us!" Bellatrix said. "Shall I kill her now, my Lord?"

Tonks waited for the spell, the flash of green, but it never came.

"No." Voldemort said. "I believe we can learn from her. Severus, your source is reliable, but Nymphadora might have details your source might not. Bellatrix, I'll leave this to you. If you need help from others, perhaps your husband."

"Of course, my Lord." Bellatrix said, stepping over to Tonks, grabbing her hair and pulling her to feet. "We'll enjoy this, won't we, Nymphie?"

* * *

Hermione appeared outside of the Burrow's boundaries, just as Kingsley's instructions had told her to do. Stepping through the boundaries, she was met with the end of Kingsley's wand pointing at her chest.

"How did you receive my instructions, and on what date?" He asked.

"Three days ago, on July 20th, I received a patronus- yours, which is a lynx- telling me to Apparate exactly one hundred and fifty yards away from the house." She said.

He nodded, stowing his wand beneath his robes. "Your parents?"

"Safe, as I said they would be." She said, and they walked back towards the house. "Has anything new happened?"

"A lot has happened." Kingsley said.

"Good or bad?"

"Good, with a lot of bad."

"What's the good, then?" Hermione asked.

"Remus and Tonks got married just over a week ago, it gave us a reason to celebrate something. And so far, this house remains safe. We'll be bringing Harry here on Saturday, the wedding will go ahead as planned on the first of August."

"And the bad? Deaths?" She asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"Not that we know of, yet."

"Yet?"

"Tonks went on an undercover mission last night, and still has not returned." Kingsley said. "Remus and Sirius spent hours looking for any signs of her, we can only imagine they found out about her and took her captive. And we're setting up a safe house for the Dursleys, we just need Order members who will agree to protect them."

"And the plan to move Harry?" Hermione asked.

"It will be discussed at an Order meeting tonight." Kingsley said as they reached the Burrow's back door. "I must get back to the Muggle Prime Minister, I'll see you this evening, Hermione."

She nodded and watched as he walked back to the point she had just appeared at. She turned, heading into the Burrow's kitchen. It took her an hour before she could escape the various family members and Order members in the home, and by the end of the hour, all she wanted was quiet.

Hermione walked towards Ron's room, knowing it would be the quietest area in the house, her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ in her arms. She had arrived at the Burrow only an hour before, but between the wedding planning and the Order being in what she could only describe as crisis mode, she needed silence.

She walked by the twins' room, only for the door to open and one of the twins to step out, a box in his arms. He bumped into her, catching her by surprise, and she stumbled backwards, landing on her backside in the hallway.

The twin dropped the box, and she found herself looking up at Fred while Decoy Detonators scurried around her.

"Oh, Hermione, I didn't realise you were here!" Fred said.

"I figured that." She said, as he held out a hand. She took it, standing.

"I have a habit of making the ladies fall for me." Fred said, bending down to retrieve the book, frowning slightly. "A Muggle book?"

She took the book. "Uh, yes. My mother bought it for me a few years ago."

"Never change, Miss Granger." He said with a wink, waving his wand and returning the Decoy Detonators to the box. He began heading down the hallway when she noticed one of the Decoy Detonators hadn't be summoned. She grabbed it, following Fred.

"You forgot this, Fred." She said, and he turned to look at her.

"Keep it." He said. "Perhaps you'll need a decoy, Granger."

As he continued walking, she looked down at the Decoy Detonator, a blush creeping to her cheeks as she smiled slightly.

She heard footsteps from the stairs leading to Ron's room, and jumped when Ron spoke. "Hey, Hermione, heard you arrived." He said, when she turned to him. "Looking for me?"

She tucked the Decoy Detonator into her beaded bag. "I was on my way up to your room, actually." She said. "You don't mind if I read in there, do you? It's just a little loud downstairs, and I'd like some silence."

Ron shrugged. "Nah, go ahead, I'm heading out to play Quidditch with Ginny, Bill and the twins." He said. "We have to try to convince Charlie to join us, or our teams are uneven. Unless you'd like to...?"

"No, that's alright, I'd like to read." She said, and he nodded, headed downstairs. As she continued up to Ron's room, she couldn't stop thinking about Fred's wink.

 _Merlin, the Weasleys are a distracting bunch._

* * *

"What information can you give us?" Bellatrix asked, holding the knife against her cheek as Tonks sat bound to a chair in a dark room.

"I can give you a lot of information, I just don't want to."

Bellatrix sliced the knife, and Tonks felt a stinging pain as it cut the skin on her cheek. "Perhaps I feed you to Greyback." Bellatrix said. "How would your werewolf enjoy that?"

"Killing me won't hide the shameful fact a family member of yours married a werewolf."

Bellatrix's face turned slightly red as she glared at Tonks. She grabbed a handful of Tonks' hair, pulling her head back, pressing the blade against Tonks' neck. "I should slit your throat and leave you on dear Dromeda's front porch." She hissed.

"Oh, but dear Auntie Bella, if you do that, what about the information you want?"

Bellatrix released her hair, walking back in front of her. She drew out her wand, pointing it at Tonks. " _Crucio_!"

Her body tensed up as she screamed, the pain burning through every bone, every muscle, every inch of her body. This time, Bellatrix held the curse for far longer.

When she finally dropped the spell, Tonks was breathless and trembling, sobbing involuntarily.

"Do you have information for me now?" Bellatrix asked.

Tonks took a few deep, shuddering breaths and then sat up straight. "I will tell you nothing." She said, glaring at Bellatrix.

Bellatrix stood completely straight, staring down at her. "Very well. Rodolphus? Perhaps you can convince her to speak."

* * *

They gathered in the crowded kitchen of the Burrow that evening, and Hermione noticed Remus and Sirius were the second last to arrive. She wasn't sure if it would be inappropriate for her to approach him, congratulating him on his marriage and saying she was sorry there was a chance he was widowed all in the same week, so she stayed silent, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Moody finally arrived, his magical eye searching the room quickly, before he walked to stand next to Kingsley. "Has anyone told her parents?" He asked, and most of the Order members looked towards Remus and Sirius.

"Not yet." Sirius said. "It's not unusual for her parents to go a week without hearing from her, and Remus wants to be able to give some kind of answer. We're going back to the Manor tonight, try to find some kind of lead."

Moody nodded after a moment. "If there's no lead found in the next twenty four hours, I believe we'd be better off assuming she's been killed." He said. "After all, she walked into a room of Death Eaters and You-Know-Who himself, if they found her out-"

"She was sent."

Remus' voice was so quiet, that Hermione hadn't been sure he had spoken at all, until she realised others were looking at him as well.

"She volunteered." Moody said. "We could have used Polyjuice-"

"You should have!" Remus snapped, shoving his chair back and standing. "Any of you! It didn't have to be her! Alastor, you're a damned retired Auror, you know how the Death Eaters work!"

"Nymphadora volunteered-"

"She volunteered a lot in the past, but why now? Why send her _now_?" Remus demanded. "Alastor, you were her mentor! Shouldn't you have wanted to protect her? Or teach her to do it herself in your absence? Or, perhaps, she is just a tool to the Order? Useful, because as long as she's around, none of you need to disguise yourselves to face a Death Eater meeting, she'll do it for you! And because of that, I get to go to her parents and say that she's most likely been killed, and apologise that we have no body to provide- because _none_ of you volunteered to do what she's done."

Hermione jumped as Moody's fist connected with the top of the table, leaving an echoing silence as the grizzled Auror focused both of his eyes on the werewolf.

"You better rethink who you're speaking to, Lupin." Moody growled. "I've known that girl since she was a teenager. I trained her. And Merlin be damned if her _husband of a week_ thinks he has any right to make it sound as if I've failed somehow. If she dies, it's not because of me, it's not because of the Order- it'll be because there might have simply been no hope for _any_ Order member that had walked into that meeting. The girl I trained, the Nymphadora _I_ knew, will go down fighting and without muttering a single word about our plans, and we should all honour her- whether or not we find her body."

There was a tense silence, broken only when Remus stormed from the kitchen and into the garden, a loud crack telling them he wasn't returning to that meeting.

"We're going ahead with the plan for this Saturday." Moody continued after a moment. "Like I said, I don't believe Nymphadora would let slip any of our plans."

"What is the plan for this Saturday?" Hermione asked, and Moody's electric blue eye swiveled to stare at her.

"Polyjuice Potion." He said. "Six decoys, the real Potter and seven protectors. In pairs, we're moving to seven different safe houses and portkeys will bring the pairs here. Potter can't use magic, we need to distract from the real Potter as much as possible. Originally, I was going to go and bring him here with Side-Along, but there are Death Eaters in the Ministry, and we can't have him tracked here. Which leads me to the next problem that I have. We're one decoy short, possibly a protector short as well-"

"Remus will still be there." Sirius said. "He'll be there for Harry."

"I'll be a decoy." Hermione said, and Moody nodded.

"Are you comfortable on a broom?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Not exactly." She admitted.

"You'll be on a thestral."

"Pairings?" Kingsley asked.

"Ron will be with Sirius, Fred with Arthur, George with Remus, Mundungus with me- all on brooms. Hermione with Kingsley and Fleur with Bill- on thestrals. And the real one with Hagrid on the bike." Moody responded.

"I want to protect Harry." Sirius said.

"They'll expect it. They'll go for the ones that seem obvious as protectors- the Aurors and the godfather. He's safer with Hagrid." Arthur said.

Sirius went to say something else, but Moody cut across him. "No more arguments, Black."

"I was going to say something else, actually." Sirius said. "You said that You-Know-Who is probably going to have Death Eaters patrolling the area, so we need to be prepared. Now, if that happens, and they get all of their Death Eater buddies to show up- there are likely to be Imperiused Death Eaters, right?"

"Curse them." Moody said. "Anyone who threatens your life, curse-"

"Even if it's Dora?" Sirius asked. "You said it yourself, she'll fight, but if she can't fight off an Imperius Curse, we've got one of us on the _other_ side. Someone who knows each of the people who will be out there, and she's a damn good dueler."

Moody was quiet for a moment. "Stun her." He said. "If you see her, Stun her."

"And let her fall? If we're dueling on brooms-"

"Then don't let her fall."

* * *

She felt sick as she curled up on the floor, clutching her knees to her chest. They had left her alone when Rodolphus had finished his abuse of her, Bellatrix deciding they'd leave her to starve for a few days, perhaps she'd speak then.

She heard them reinforce the spells on the door. She reached slowly, grabbing her clothes, pulling them on just for some coverage, just to hide her body.

Her cheek was swollen and sore from where Rodolphus' fist had struck her when she had tried to fight him off. Everything hurt, but she wasn't sure where the residual pain from the Cruciatus ended and the pain from Rodolphus' assault began.

She looked around the dimly lit room she was in. It was very small, no furniture, and even worse- no windows. Her only escape route would be the door, and that was protected by charms.

She had no concept of time, but could guess she had been left overnight and most of the next day before they returned again. Another round of the Cruciatus, and she still refused to speak. They could kill her, she refused to betray the Order.

She found some strength to fight off Rodolphus' advances when Bellatrix stepped back, but Bellatrix rushed forward, digging her knife into Tonks' stomach, demanding answers as she allowed her husband to continue his assault on Tonks' bleeding body. She cried in pain, sobbing as Rodolphus continued on, but still refused to provide any information.

This time, when Rodolphus pulled away, it wasn't over. They weren't finished yet, and every time she refused to speak, it was another hit, a kick to the ribs, another round of the Cruciatus.

She lost consciousness as they were leaving, Rodolphus pausing to throw her outer robe over her naked and beaten form, calling her a werewolf's whore as he left.

She didn't know how long she was unconscious for, but she woke up alone, dragging herself over to her discarded clothes. She sobbed as she tried to pull them on, every breath hurting and every movement was excruciating.

She felt like she was going throw up by the time she managed to pull the outer robe back on. She tried to stand, falling to her knees with a cry of pain. She collapsed onto her side, clutching her stomach, and could feel the warm blood seeping onto her hand.

She was going to bleed to death, she knew it. But at least she hadn't broken and given any information. She let her eyes close, tears leaking from her eyes. If she could fall asleep, perhaps die before they returned...

The door opened, and she shut her eyes tighter, hoping that whatever they had planned now would be quick. Perhaps they planned to kill her.

Instead of pain, instead of a flash of green, she felt a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder.

* * *

Remus hadn't slept after he returned from another search around the perimeter of the Manor. He needed a sign, _any_ sign, but he found nothing. Sirius came downstairs around three, but Remus suspected he hadn't slept either. He sat on the other side of the couch, silent for a few minutes.

"We need to tell Andromeda and Ted." He said quietly, after nearly half an hour of tense silence. "We can't keep them in the dark about this."

"I know." Remus said. "I'm going back over there, to the Manor."

"When?"

"Now." Remus said, standing. "Maybe I can-"

"Maybe you can what?" Sirius asked. "We've been there, we've found nothing. Mate, I hate to say it-"

"Then don't." Remus said harshly. "You can come with me if you want, but let's drop the 'this is hopeless' talk."

"I'm not saying it to be a git, Moony." Sirius said, but he stood anyway. "I'll come with you, because I'd be barmy if I let you go off alone."

Remus looked at him, and then nodded. They left the house together, Apparating into the lane, beginning their walk around the outside of the enchantments, knowing they couldn't pass the enchantments, but perhaps they could see or hear something.

Sirius grabbed Remus' arm suddenly, pointing into the distance. It took Remus a moment to see it, but there was a faint silver glimmer a small distance down the lane. It seemed to materialize very briefly into a four legged animal, and they looked each other.

Four legs, could it be a wolf?

They walked quickly, but the shapeless patronus kept moving, kept itself out of reach of them. It led them away from the lane, away from a few houses, towards a large field, where it materialized into a doe.


	3. Chapter 3

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

* * *

She opened her eyes to see Snape leaning over her, and she frowned slightly.

He pushed her onto her back, moving her hand away from the the wound on her stomach, muttering a spell. The bleeding ceased immediately, an odd sensation washing over her body as the pain disappeared. She frowned deeper. He was helping her. Why?

Snape pocketed his wand, leaning down further and lifting her. She was too week to push him away, and let her head fall into his shoulder as he walked. Strangely, the potions professor didn't smell of various potion ingredients, instead he smelled of candle wax and old books. Although, now she wondered why one would notice this.

"Is he going to kill me?" She asked, but was met with Snape shushing her.

She fell silent, allowing him to carry her somewhere, simply feeling too weak to fight anymore. To her surprise, he carried her outside.

"You overpowered Wormtail." He said when they had walked through the gates, and he set her on her feet. She swayed, and he caught her arm, keeping her upright. "You escaped out of the cellar because he failed to lock it properly after checking on you. He is currently Stunned, his memory modified. He will remember _you_ overpowering him." Snape said, handing her a wand- Wormtail's wand. "You are going to Apparate with me two miles south. That's where you'll be found."

"You're helping me escape." She said, stunned. "Why?"

"I may be a murderer to you and the rest of the Order, but I also have the ability to do the right thing."

"But why?" She asked. "I mean, you didn't stop Professor Burbage from being killed."

"Neither did you."

"I couldn't! I was supposed to be undercover!"

"You did exceptionally well, you know." Snape said. "But perhaps the Order forgot that the Dark Lord can use Legilimency."

"So can you, yet you didn't say anything. And we were alone for a few minutes."

He didn't answer her, instead tightening his grip on her arm. She allowed herself, for some reason, to be taken with him as he Apparated. As they reappeared, he aimed his wand at her, and she felt a warm feeling washing over her as her mind became fuzzy.

She had overpowered Wormtail... Taken his wand... Apparated _alone_...

She felt hands pushing her gently to the ground, and passed out before she felt the ground beneath her head.

* * *

Both men froze, whipping their wands out. The only person they knew with a doe patronus was dead.

The doe continued moving, however and paused beside a dark shape in the overgrown grass.

They exchanged looks, and then walked forward. The doe vanished before they reached the shape on the ground, and Sirius lit the end of his wand. The light of his wand reflected off of a pale face, and Remus fell to his knees beside her.

"Dora?" He asked, reaching for her. She was bruised and bleeding, but _breathing_. Her clothes were torn, and she didn't wake up when he lifted her, her head falling against his shoulder.

"You're sure it's her?" Sirius asked.

"We can't question her right now, not like this." Remus said. "We take her with us, we find out later."

Sirius nodded, Disapparating with a loud crack. Remus followed, tightening his grip on Tonks. He reappeared outside the boundaries of their home.

"It's alright, we've got you." Remus whispered in her ear, carrying her up the garden path. Sirius walked ahead, opening the door of the dark house. He continued ahead, as Remus spoke softly to Tonks, but he was sure she was unconscious.

He had shoved a book and most of the extra pillows off the couch, leaving a single pillow on the end. He walked to the hallway, grabbing a thin blanket from the closet and returning just as Remus set her down.

"We need to get her robes off." Sirius said, handing Remus the blanket. "To heal the wounds-"

"Can you get Dittany?" Remus asked, setting the blanket on the arm of the couch and leaning over her again, grabbing the collar of her ruined shirt, ripping half of the buttons off. Sirius nodded, leaving the room quickly.

Remus noticed small bruises covering her chest and stomach, he even noticed a clear hand shaped bruise on one of her hips, and felt sick. They must have used Slicing Charms or a knife, these cuts were far too long and deep to have happened when she had been beaten.

Remus folded the blanket, covering her bare chest, just as Sirius returned, holding out the Dittany.

"The worst one is here, on her stomach." Remus said, taking the small from Sirius. "The others I can probably heal with spells."

Remus uncorked the Dittany, dropping a few drops on the wound. "What if we hadn't found her tonight?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. "It doesn't matter, because we did." He said. "I just want to know why she didn't come back when she was supposed to."

"I'll make some tea, do you want some?" Sirius asked, and Remus nodded. Sirius went into the kitchen, and Remus shifted the blanket to cover her entirely, lifting her upper body to sit with her partially on his lap. He ran a hand over her hair, his wedding ring glinting in the soft light, a harsh reminder that this was his wife- and he had made no objections to her walking into a den of snakes. His wife, and he hadn't protected her- perhaps he should have gone with her, but he couldn't. They had taken one Death Eater, subdued him long enough so that Tonks could morph into him and go, but Yaxley had escaped and Tonks never returned.

Remus had spent the first week of July, confused. He wanted to marry her, be with her, but could he be either? The second week, they got married. The third, she had vanished.

Now they were a few days from getting Harry from his Muggle family's- a mission Tonks wasn't going to participate in anyway, due to an uneven amount of volunteers.

"I'm sorry, Dora." Remus said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "We should have sent someone else."

"I sent a patronus message to Arthur, Kingsley and Mad-Eye." Sirius said. "Arthur can talk to Molly and anyone still at the Burrow, and Kingsley can go to her parents. Knowing Mad-Eye-"

There was a loud crack in the yard.

"-he's on his way here." Sirius finished as there was a loud banging on the door. "Who is it?" Sirius called, setting the tea down on the coffee table.

"Alastor Nathaniel Moody, known as Mad-Eye. At the last Order meeting, Remus John Lupin stormed out after saying someone else should have taken his wife's place- his wife being Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks, who I trained to be an Auror-"

Moody was cut off as Sirius opened the door. Moody entered, looking at Tonks in Remus' arms.

"I am sorry, Remus, for sending her." Moody said. "Even though she volunteered, you were right. We turned her down for other undercover missions, we should have turned her down this time as well. Has she woken?"

"No." Remus said, looking down at Tonks. "I've healed the worst of her injuries- which were already partially healed-"

"Already healed?" Moody asked, stepping forward. "Did she have a wand on her when you found her? Where did you find her?"

"In a field, about two miles from Malfoy Manor. She did have a wand next to her. Wormtail's wand." Sirius said, and Remus noticed he didn't make any mention of the doe.

"She must have fought him, taken his wand and escaped, then-"

"Look at her." Remus said. "I doubt she's done much fighting in the last few hours-"

"Maybe she lost her strength Apparating." Moody said. "Even I doubt she would walk two miles in that condition. Let her rest, when she wakes up, ask a security question."

"Who else would it be?" Remus asked. "What would be point of giving us a false, still injured, Dora?"

"She could be a Death Eater, disguised to get in our ranks." Moody said. "Ask her to morph-"

"She's injured, I doubt she'll want to morph." Sirius said.

"She's done it before, even if it's a very slight change." Moody said. "It's the most accurate security question for her. We don't know what information they might have about her."

Remus nodded. "We'll ask her to morph." He said.

"I'll go to her parents, unless Kingsley's already there." Moody continued. "Meeting tomorrow, at noon. At the Burrow, we're going to finalise the plans for Saturday."

* * *

Remus had carried Tonks upstairs just after dawn, still covered in the blanket, setting her gently on the bed after waving his wand to move the blankets out of the way. Slowly and gently, he pulled the rest of her clothes off, cleaning blood from her skin and feeling for any possible broken bones.

As much as he hated his condition and the years he had spent alone, it had provided him with ample time to learn how to search for and treat various injuries. When he couldn't find any, he grabbed a tank top and shorts, lifting her into a sitting position to pull the tank top over her head, gently adjusting it. When he pulled the shorts onto her, he realised the bruises on her legs seemed to have a very _specific_ pattern and he felt even sicker. He lay his hand over the bruise, feeling worse when part of it matched up, as if someone had been digging their fingers into her legs.

The hand shaped bruise on her hip, these bruises on her thighs...

He released her leg as if her skin had burned him, stepping back. He was going to be _sick_.

He turned, heading towards Sirius' room, knocking a little louder than he intended. A moment later, Sirius swung open the door.

"What? Did something happen? Is she awake?"

He didn't speak, just gestured for Sirius to follow him.

"Moony, mate, tell me." Sirius said, following him.

He walked over to Tonks, pointing to her leg. "There."

Sirius stood next to him. "It's a bruise-"

Remus leaned down, pulling the hem of her tank top up only far enough to reveal the hand shaped bruised. Sirius seemed to be realising what Remus was thinking, and he frowned when Remus placed his fingers over the bruises on her leg.

"Remus, you don't think-"

Remus straightened up. "Do you think we could wake her up with _Rennervate_ _?_ "

"We could try." Sirius said. "But she might not know where she is at first, Moony."

Remus nodded. "We're both here to calm her down if she panics." He said, reaching to pull the blanket over her so she wouldn't feel so exposed right away. He aimed his wand at Tonks.

"Remus, she may not want to admit it, you know." Sirius said. "Don't pry if she doesn't want to talk."

Remus nodded, pointing his wand at Tonks' chest. " _Rennervate_." He whispered, and there was a moment where nothing happened.

And then her eyes opened. There was a very fleeting moment where Remus thought she might be calm, but then she seemed to realise she was somewhere different, and sat up quickly, her eyes filling with confusion panic as she looked around the room but almost didn't seem to recognise anything- until she spotted Remus.

"Dora, it's alright." He said, as her eyes flickered to Sirius.

Tears filled her eyes and Remus realised she was trembling. He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching towards one of her hands. She pulled her hand away immediately, and then looked horrified at what she had done. "I'm sorry." She said quietly, tears falling onto her cheeks. "Remus, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be." Remus said. "You have nothing to apologise for."

She burst into tears, burying her head in her hands. Remus heard Sirius leave. "Dora, can you tell me what happened?" Remus asked, gently. "What are these bruises from?"

She shook her head, crying harder.

He wanted to hold her, comfort her, but he couldn't bring himself to move. If she had flinched away from his hand...

"Do you want to take a bath?" Remus asked. "I'll go run you a bath, alright?"

She didn't respond, but was taking deep breaths, clearly trying to pull herself together. He stood, heading for the bathroom just as Sirius came up the stairs. He held a vial out to Remus.

"Calming Draught." He said. "She might need it."

Remus nodded. "I'm going to run her a bath. She didn't want to say anything, so I won't push it, just as you suggested. Can you go give that to her?"

Sirius nodded, walking towards the bedroom as Remus headed into the bathroom.

* * *

She had scrubbed every inch of her skin raw. Some parts of her body were red from the scrubbing, scratch marks from her own nails, but she couldn't handle it. She felt filthy, disgusting. Remus had told her she didn't have to face the Order until she wanted to- there was a meeting the next day, but she didn't have to attend.

Did he suspect, then? The way he looked at her, she suspected he did. He obviously saw the bruises, he had probably been the one to change her into the clothes she had been wearing when she woke up.

The Calming Draught Sirius had given her had only been forcing her to remain _physically_ calm, it didn't seem to be easing her mind at all. Her thoughts wouldn't stop, she kept remembering, kept _feeling_ Rodolphus' hands on her. Her own screams from the rounds of the Cruciatus seemed to echo in her ears.

What kind of sick torture was that? To do such a thing, just to gain information?

She took a deep breath. She couldn't let them have the satisfaction. She was going to that Order meeting, and she was going to continue to fight this war.

She rose from the water, momentarily feeling dizzy- probably because she couldn't remember the last time she ate- and stood for a moment, looking at herself in the mirror. The wound on her stomach looked like it could be a few days old- she assumed they used Dittany, then- and the bruises made her feel a strange mix of sickened and enraged. She grabbed the clothes Remus had handed her before she went into the bathroom, dressing as fast as she could despite the soreness that seemed to be setting in. She didn't have her wand, so she dried her hair as much as she could with a towel, draining the tub and heading down the stairs. She couldn't rid herself of the feelings she had, the disgust with herself or the instinctual jumpiness she seemed to be experiencing when Remus or Sirius walked too close, but she refused to let it consume her.

Remus and Sirius were talking in hushed whispers on the couch, falling completely silent when she appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Are you hungry?" Remus asked, standing and walking towards her.

She felt another surge of hatred for herself when she instinctively took a step back and Remus paused, but he didn't look upset. He reached into his pocket, and then held out his hand, her wedding ring in his palm. She took it, slipping it onto her finger.

"I'll make you something to eat." Remus said, and as he walked passed her, she grabbed his arm. He paused, turning to her.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too, Dora." He said, and then he headed into the kitchen. Sirius held up her wand, gesturing her over to him.

She walked over, sitting on the couch. He held out her wand, which she took gratefully.

"As much as we'd love to break Wormtail's wand, it's actually good you had it." Sirius said. "Arthur needs a new wand, we'll take it tomorrow and see if he can use it. Do you remember how you escaped?"

She nodded. "He forgot to redo the enchantments on the room, I overpowered him and took his wand and fled-"

"Did you heal yourself?"

She looked at him. "Did I what?"

"Your stomach was partially healed when we brought you here." Sirius said. "How did you get two miles away from the house?"

She frowned. "I Apparated." She said slowly. "But I don't remembering healing myself."

Sirius frowned. "Did you get help from someone?"

"I don't think so?"

"We found you because a patronus led us to you." Sirius said. "A doe."

"A doe?" Tonks asked.

"You don't remember anyone else being there?" Sirius asked, and she shook her head. "Do you remember what happened while you were there?"

"I remember the meeting." Tonks said, and then she remembered that the Death Eaters knew they were moving this Saturday. "I need to talk to the Order tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

* * *

 ** _Okay, so I updated the summary because while I *did* plan for these first to chapters to include the nice-Snape, I realised that Snape won't be in it until later chapters again. My apologies!_**

 ** _But I do hope you'll like my eventual plan for him._**

* * *

Remus didn't sleep again. Instead, he leaned against the headboard quietly, watching her sleep. She seemed restless,and he regretted not making her take a Dreamless Sleep Potion, but she had said she didn't want to- and he couldn't force her.

She had admitted that Bellatrix had been there, and had used the Cruciatus Curse on her, which seemed to explain the moments where her hands seemed to tremble. He knew Bellatrix well, and knew that depending on how long the spell had been held that the after effects could last weeks for Tonks, but at least she hadn't been tortured as badly as the Longbottoms had been.

What bothered Remus the most was that she kept her distance. It didn't upset him, no, it simply concerned him. In the week since they got married, they rarely slept without touching each other- whether it was just their hands or her laying with her head on his chest, but tonight, she had been almost on the edge of the mattress, laying on her side and facing away from her, her shoulders tense. It wasn't until she fell asleep that her body relaxed, and she was now sleeping on her back.

Sirius stepped around the open bedroom door, walking to stand at the foot of the bed.

"She wants to go to the Order meeting." Sirius said, and Remus nodded. "They're going to ask, you know."

"She's stubborn, she'll only tell them what she wants to." Remus said.

"Do you think she told them anything?" Sirius asked after a moment.

Remus shook his head. "Even if she did, I wouldn't blame her."

"We didn't ask her to morph." Sirius said. "We told Mad-Eye we would."

Remus shrugged. "If she wasn't Dora, she probably would have killed us already."

Sirius nodded. "What will you do if she ever admits it? Confirms it?"

Remus shrugged. "Part of me wants to find out _who_ , and find them." Remus said. "The other part of me simply wants to stay here, help her through it."

"I definitely want to go find whoever it was." Sirius said. "And I'm sure if Ted finds out-"

"Maybe that's why she won't tell us." Remus said. "Maybe she doesn't want us to do anything reckless."

"I wonder if Bellatrix would tell us if we found her..." Sirius said. "After all, Bellatrix likes to boast."

"I think that counts as reckless, Padfoot."

"Moony, look at who you're talking to." Sirius said. ''I went after Wormtail for betraying James and Lily. I'll go after the bastard that raped my cousin too."

"Not without her husband, you won't."

* * *

It hadn't been so bad when they first arrived at the Burrow. Molly had been the first to approach her, and when Molly had grabbed her in a hug, she hadn't pulled away- she felt safe and comforted. Her parents hadn't been by yet, but her mother had sent a letter saying she was glad that Tonks was safe- despite being a little upset they hadn't known she was missing at all- and said they would be by before the end of the week. And Hermione had also taken the opportunity to congratulate them on their marriage because she had arrived while Tonks had been gone.

And then the meeting began, and as she expected- most of the Order seemed to want to know about the meeting and her escape first. She was sitting next to Remus, staring at the table. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her to tell them what she had learned, but suddenly her nerve seemed to be failing her, suddenly she couldn't speak, because she knew what the immediate reaction would be. They would think she told them.

"You-Know-Who knows about Saturday." She finally said, without looking up.

"Did you tell them?" Fleur asked.

She looked up, glaring at Fleur. "I didn't tell them anything!"

"But you just said-" Fleur began.

"I didn't say I told them, I just said he knew!"

"I assume it was mentioned during the meeting, then?" Kingsley asked. "Who told You-Know-Who?"

"Snape."

"How does Snape know?" Sirius asked, leaning forward.

"I don't know." She said. "He didn't say anything about decoys, he just said that's the date we're moving him."

"He didn't say who told him?" Arthur asked.

She shook her head. "He said he has a source." She said. "Which means there's a betrayer among us."

"How did they figure you out?" Moody asked. "Did you drop any part of your morph?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. He just _knew_. Maybe he used Legilimency-"

"You didn't feel it, though?" Sirius asked, and she shook her head. "Maybe the same person who told Snape about this Saturday also managed to tell him that you'd be there."

"We make a new plan, then-" Moody began.

"They don't know about the decoys." Tonks repeated. "And maybe there's a chance that they'll think it was some kind of false trail."

"We'd be risking the entire mission-"

"We don't have time for a new plan." She said. "They don't know about the safe houses, they don't know about the decoys. We can still confuse them."

"What else did they know?" Moody asked.

"Nothing related to the mission." She said.

"Related to the Order?"

"They know that Remus and I got married, they know that we think that they've infiltrated the Ministry- which we know is true. We can't move Harry using any other method, but it does sound like he's planning to take Harry as we move. No matter what we do, there's going to be a fight." She said. "And- I don't know if she's been declared missing yet, but Charity Burbage is dead."

"They talked about her?" Kingsley asked, and she shook her head.

"She was there, they must have taken her prisoner." She said. "She was killed during the meeting."

"Did they mention dropping her body somewhere?" Moody asked. "We should return it to her husband."

Tonks felt sick as the image of the snake wrapping its body around Charity's lifeless body flashed through her mind, and she closed her eyes.

"Tonks, are you alright?" Kingsley asked.

"There's no body." She said, opening her eyes after a long silence.

"What do you mean?" Bill asked. "What'd they do to her?"

"Do you remember the snake that attacked Arthur?" She asked, and most of the Order seemed confused for a moment. "Well, it was there. At the meeting."

"Did it attack her?" Molly asked, and Tonks shook her head.

"How did Charity die, Tonks?" Hestia asked gently.

"Killing Curse."

"And the snake, what did the snake have to do with it?" Sirius asked.

Remus exhaled beside her. "Dora, you said there's no body. And if the snake was there..."

"Oh, Bloody Hell." Sirius whispered. "The snake- it ate her, didn't it?"

"Yes."

"And what happened to you?" Moody asked. "They clearly tried to torture information out of you-"

"I didn't tell them anything." She snapped before she could stop herself. "I kept my silence-"

"And she's keeping her silence even with us." Sirius said, and she glared at him. "I'm sorry, Dora, but we're concerned."

"I got tortured with the Cruciatus by my own Aunt, I got _stabbed_ and beaten." She said, suddenly feeling angry. "All for information they _already had_. Is that what you want to know? Or do you want more details? Perhaps you want to know that Bellatrix didn't act alone-?"

"We want to know that you're okay." Sirius said.

She stood, pushing her chair back. "Let's send you to Malfoy Manor for two days, see if you're okay afterwards." She said, turning and leaving the Burrow.

"Dora!" Remus called, following her outside. He must have jogged to catch up to her when she continued walking, because his hand grabbed her arm a second later. Immediately and without really thinking, she spun and slapped him, and then froze.

"Remus, I'm- oh my _God_." She said, clapping her hand to her mouth as he released her arm.

Remus seemed startled for a moment, but didn't seem angry with her. "It's alright, Dora-"

"No, it's not! I just _hit my husband!_ "

"Dora, I know something happened, something you don't want to admit. And it has you a little... on edge." Remus said. "And I understand that. What I don't understand is why you don't want to tell me. Whatever it is, Dora, you can tell me."

She didn't speak.

"I shouldn't have grabbed you like that." Remus said. "And I'm sorry."

She sighed, staring at the ground. She couldn't say the words, she couldn't tell him.

"I am right, aren't I?" Remus asked. "The bruises, they aren't just from you getting beaten, are they?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Who was it?"

"Rodolphus." She whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm sorry, Remus- I tried to-"

He walked forward, wrapping his arms around her tightly, resting his cheek on her hair. "Don't apologise, you've done nothing wrong." He said. "We'll get through this. Whatever you need, you just tell me.''

For a fleeting moment she wanted to push him away, but the familiar feeling of his sweater against her cheek, the way he always smelled of chocolate and books and the scent of his aftershave...

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest, sobs shaking her body- but it was alright, she was safe, she was with Remus.

* * *

Somehow, Remus knowing seemed to help Tonks. They spent the rest of Friday and most of Saturday alone. Sirius didn't bother them, and Remus didn't tell him he had found out that they had been right. He didn't want to yet, it wasn't his place to say anything anyway, but he felt like their silence may have confirmed it for Sirius.

They only left their room a couple of times, one time being to visit with her parents for a short time- and Remus noticed she didn't tell them many details of what happened- but the rest of the time they simply stayed with each other.

He helped her heal her bruises, something none of them viewed as a priority before- but now he thought was extremely important to do that. Otherwise, she'd have to spend weeks watching as the bruises faded and he hated the idea of her having to see the physical evidence daily.

Once the bruises were healed, they simply spent the time together, talking about everything except for what had happened. They had talked about it a little bit while he healed her bruises, but once the bruises were gone, so was the conversation.

Remus was happy to comply, if she didn't want to talk about it, he couldn't stand to bring it up. If she needed to talk, she would.

She fell asleep before taking a Dreamless Sleep Potion, and Remus feel asleep shortly afterwards, only to wake up to her crying out. He woke up to see her sitting up, her shoulders shaking slightly, and sat up as well.

"I'm sorry, it was just a nightmare." She said quietly. "Go back to sleep."

"Do you want to talk?" Remus asked, and she shook her head, laying down again. He lay down as well, sighing softly. "If you ever need to, Dora."

"I know, Remus."

He lay there, alternating between being absolutely destroyed at the idea of her being assaulted in such a horrible way, and being absolutely furious that it had happened and found himself hoping that Rodolphus would make an appearance during the mission. If Tonks was right and they knew about it, there would be Death Eaters for sure, and he desperately hoped Rodolphus would be one of them.

And while Remus never considered himself to be willingly violent, he just might make an exception for Rodolphus Lestrange.

* * *

Harry sat on the edge of his bed, clutching his forehead as the pain in his scar seared. Suddenly, he could see a large room. A man was huddled on the ground, trembling as Voldemort's voice filled Harry's head.

"You let her escape!"

"No- no-" Wormtail stuttered. "I did no such-"

"Silence, Wormtail! You were guarding the door, were you not?"

"Y-yes, my Lord, but-"

"You were found, Stunned and wandless, were you not?''

"Y-yes, my L-"

''And you admit that she took your wand, did you not?"

"My Lord-"

Wormtail's voice was silenced as he screamed, writhing on the ground. There was a bright green flash, silencing Wormtail's screams, and Harry found himself staring at his bedroom floor again. He took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes.

Wormtail was dead, but who did he let escape?

Harry stood and picked up Hedwig's cage, his Firebolt, and his rucksack, gave his unnaturally tidy bedroom one last sweeping look, and then made his ungainly way back downstairs to the hall, where he deposited cage, broomstick, and bag near the foot of the stairs.

* * *

Sirius grinned as Harry walked into the back garden. Hermione threw her arms around Harry first, Ron clapping him on the back. Sirius walked forward to hug Harry tightly, and Remus shook his hand.

"All righ', Harry? Ready fer the off?" Hagrid asked, and Harry nodded.

"Definitely, but I wasn't expecting this many of you!"

"Change of plans." Moody said, his magical eye surveying every direction with dizzying rapidity. "Let's get undercover before we talk you through it."

Harry led them into the kitchen. "Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Muggle Prime Minister?" Harry asked.

"He can get along without me for one night." Kingsley said. "You're more important."

* * *

Apparently, Rodolphus _was_ one of them. He was fortunate in the fact he didn't pursue Remus, but he did pursue Sirius.

Molly was taking care of George, so Remus and Tonks stayed outside, waiting for the others. Harry sat with them for a few minutes, but kept going into the house and pacing as he waited.

Kingsley and Hermione returned shortly after Remus and George, followed by Fred and Arthur. Finally, Sirius and Ron arrived.

Harry and Hermione rushed to Ron while Remus raised his wand, pointing it directly at Sirius' chest. "When Sirius Black was in fifth year, who did he ask to go to Hogsmeade with him for Valentine's Day?"

"I asked no one, I spent the day with you, because it was full moon the next day." Sirius said. "We did, however, go to Hogsmeade _together_ , but I don't think it was a very romantic date."

Remus lowered his wand. "What happened to you? You should have been back-"

"I killed Rodolphus." Sirius said.

" _What_?" Tonks asked, shocked. "You killed someone?"

"Not just _someone_ , Dora." Sirius said. "And after what he said...''

"What did he say?" Remus asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"He asked if you were able to smell him on her." Sirius said. "After that, I _may_ have accidentally cast a Killing Curse."

" _Accidentally_?" She asked quietly.

"Accidentally, on purpose." Sirius said.

"He deserved a lot worse, Dora." Remus said.

"You knew, then?" Sirius asked, and Remus nodded. "I wish I had done worse. I should have hit him with a _Crucio_ , let him fall to his death. Bloody bastard, what kind of sick son of a-"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Tonks implored as Harry, Ron and Hermione walked over.

Sirius looked like he was going to continue insulting Rodolphus, but instead threw an arm around Harry's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright, Harry." He said. "So, did you hear the news? Moony here _finally_ married Dora."

* * *

A thestral soared into sight and landed a few feet from them. Bill and Fleur slid from its back, windswept but unhurt.

"Bill! Thank God, thank God—"

Molly ran forward, but the hug Bill bestowed upon her was perfunctory. Looking directly at his father, he spoke. "Mad-Eye's dead."

The shock hit Tonks, leaving her breathless. _No._ Of all people...

She felt Remus wrap his arm around her shoulders. "He's-" She began, her mouth feeling dry. "Are you sure?"

Bill looked regretful as he nodded. "We saw it." He said, and Fleur nodded, tears on her cheeks. "It happened just after we broke out of the circle: Mad-Eye and Dung were close by us, they were heading north too. Voldemort—he can fly—went straight for them. Dung panicked, I heard him cry out, Mad-Eye tried to stop him, but he Disapparated. Voldemort's curse hit Mad-Eye full in the face, he fell backward off his broom and—there was nothing we could do, nothing, we had half a dozen of them on our own tail—"

"Of course you couldn't have done anything." Remus said.

"But you just said it yourself, you had half a dozen coming after you- maybe he's still alive- maybe he didn't actually fall-" Tonks said, and she felt frustrated when most of them looked at her like she had gone mad. "We could go look-"

"Tonks,-" Bill said, shaking his head. "We saw the curse-''

"But we could just _try_ to look." Tonks said, shaking off Remus' arm.

"Come inside, everyone." Molly said, and everyone slowly made their way inside.

Remus took Tonks' arm. "Dora, we can't do anything." He said gently. "Come inside."

She sighed, allowing him to lead her inside. She didn't realise she had started crying until Remus handed her a handkerchief. They entered just as Arthur told the twins what had happened. She sank into one of the armchairs in the room, burying her face in Remus' handkerchief. Remus stood next to the chair, stroking her shoulder with one of his hands.

Moody dead. Alastor Moody, the man who trained her. She was sure if she hadn't been an Auror, or if she hadn't been trained by him, she would have broken and told the Death Eaters every bit of information she had. She felt like she owed him so much.

And now he was gone. Just... gone.

She couldn't understand it, she couldn't accept it. Remus handed her a glass of firewhiskey, and she savoured the harsh yet warm flavour.

She felt responsible. "I'm sorry." She said hoarsely.

"So, you said Mundungus disappeared?" Remus asked Bill at the same time.

The atmosphere changed as everyone looked at them.

"Stop apologising, Dora. It's not your fault." Remus said, tightening his grip on her shoulder. "I'm wondering why Mundungus fled-"

"I know what you're thinking, and I wondered that too, on the way back here, because they seemed to be expecting us, didn't they?" Bill asked. "But Mundungus can't have betrayed us. They didn't know there would be seven Harrys, that confused them the moment we appeared, and in case you've forgotten, it was Mundungus who suggested that little bit of skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told them the essential point? I think Dung panicked, it's as simple as that. He didn't want to come in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him, and You-Know-Who went straight for them. It was enough to make anyone panic."

"You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to." Tonks said, sniffing. "Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley..."

"Yes, and zat eez all very good, but still eet does not explain 'ow zey know we were moving _multiple_ 'Arrys tonight, does eet? Somebody must 'ave been careless. _Somebody_ let slip to an outsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing." Fleur said, glaring at each of them, tears still etched on her pale cheeks. She glared at Tonks last. "Per'aps you do not recall saying-"

Tonks hadn't realised she had pulled her wand out until she was on her feet and the curse had hit the wall beside Fleur. There was a startled shriek, but she wasn't sure who had made the noise, and Remus wrestled her wand from her hand.

"Dora, what the Bloody Hell-?" Sirius began.

"I have told _each of you_!" Tonks snapped, her hair a bright red. "I didn't tell them _anything_!"

"But you admitted, you can not entirely recall 'ow you-" Fleur continued slowly, her eyes still wide from the fact an unknown curse barely missed her.

"I remember everything before that, you absolute _cow_!" She said, pointing at Fleur, her hand shaking slightly. "They knew before they even found me out! And in case you don't remember with that Pygmy Puff sized brain of yours, they didn't know that there would be seven Harrys until after the mission began! Bill said that much- And don't you think, if I would have told them, I would have told them _every damned detail?"_

Fleur's jaw dropped at the word 'cow', and there was a tense silence as the two women stared at each other.

"No." Harry said, his voice loud in the shocked silence that followed Tonks' words, and most of them turned to look at him. "I mean… if somebody made a mistake, and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault. We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort."

There was a moment of silence, and Tonks sank into the armchair again as Fred spoke. "Well said, Harry." He said.

"Yeah, 'ear, 'ear." George said, with half a glance at Fred, the corner of whose mouth twitched.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance, something Harry definitely noticed.

"You think I'm a fool?" He demanded.

"No, I think you're like James." Remus said.

"He would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends." Sirius said with a nod.

* * *

"Harry, come back in the house." Hermione whispered. "You aren't still thinking of leaving?"

"Yeah, you've got to stay, mate." Ron said, thumping Harry on the back.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked, close enough now to look into Harry's face. "You look awful!"

"Well, I probably look better than Ollivander…" Harry said slowly. He explained to them what he had seen. When he had finished telling them what he had seen, Ron looked appalled, but Hermione downright terrified.

"But it was supposed to have stopped! Your scar—it wasn't supposed to do this anymore! You mustn't let that connection open up again—Dumbledore wanted you to close your mind!"

When he did not reply, she gripped his arm.

"Harry, he's taking over the Ministry and the newspapers and half the Wizarding world! Don't let him inside your head too!''

"Hermione, I can't always help it!" Harry found himself snapping. "I had a vision earlier, about Wormtail, and I suppose it makes sense now..."

"A vision of what?" Hermione asked. "You didn't see Tonks get tortured-"

"No, but I saw Wormtail get killed." Harry said. "Voldemort said he let 'her escape', but would Wormtail let her escape-?"

"Mate, she's an Auror. And Wormtail is... Wormtail." Ron said. "She probably just asked for his wand, and he handed it to her. No one in their right mind will fight an angry Auror, and she was probably absolutely-"

"And besides, he was a bit of a coward that night in the Shrieking Shack, so I think the chances he'd try to fight seem slim." Hermione said. "Unless, he knew she had married Remus and was willing to let her walk out?"

"Would he really care?" Harry asked, and Ron shrugged. "I just can't believe Sirius killed someone tonight-"

"What did Rodolphus say anyway?" Hermione asked. "For Sirius to kill him?"

Ron leaned on the garden gate. "You remember when Tonks was gone?"

"No, tonight is the first I've heard of it.'' Harry said. "When did that happen, anyway?"

"Yes." Hermione said to Ron. "That's what she was just talking about, Harry, when she said she didn't tell them anything. She just got back on Wednesday."

"Is that why she didn't help tonight-?" Harry began to ask.

"It could be part of the reason, but from what I heard there was an odd number of protectors anyway, so she was asked to sit aside for this mission." Hermione said. "Anyways, Ron, what about it?"

"I suppose Rodolphus was there too. He asked Sirius if Remus would be able to smell him- as in Rodolphus - on Tonks, called her a whore too. And then Sirius just..." Ron trailed off, raising his wand and miming casting a curse.

"Where was Tonks, anyway?" Harry asked. "Why was she gone?"

"Death Eater meeting." Ron said, and Harry raised his eyebrows. "She became Yaxley. Went to a meeting, and didn't come home. Apparently she was tortured pretty badly, I overheard Mum and Dad talking about it, but she managed to overpower Wormtail and escape."

Harry looked back towards the house. "She seems... normal, for just being tortured-"

"Well, this is only the second time any of us have seen her since it happened." Hermione said. "But look at her, and Remus and Sirius, clearly none of them are sleeping well. And she did _just_ try to curse Fleur..."

"For someone trained by Moody, I'd say that's normal." Ron said, and they laughed quietly before falling into a somber silence.

"Do you think she had a point?" Hermione asked quietly, staring at the dark garden. "That maybe he didn't actually get hit...?"

"I don't know." Ron said. "I mean, Bill said he saw it."

"But maybe he saw wrong." Hermione offered.

"Even if he wasn't actually hit, he still fell." Harry said, and Hermione sighed in defeat, tears hitting her cheeks. Ron dug into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Hermione silently.


	5. Chapter 5

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 ** _Okay, so I updated the summary because while I *did* plan for the first chapters to include the nice-Snape, I realised that Snape won't be in it until later chapters again. My apologies!_**

 ** _But I do hope you'll like my eventual plan for him._**

* * *

He returned home hours later, and the house was quiet. He passed Sirius' room, where Sirius was passed out on his bed, still dressed- and Remus caught sight of a partially emptied bottle of firewhiskey next to the bed. Honestly, while he would have sighed that Sirius had managed to drink himself into unconsciousness again, he was feeling like he wanted to do the exact same.

He headed into the bedroom he shared with Tonks, not surprised that she was also sleeping. However, instead of a bottle of firewhiskey, there were two vials on the nightstand, and he figured at least one was a Dreamless Sleep Potion.

He left the room, taking a long- slightly scalding- shower, before returning to their bedroom. He gently crawled under the blanket beside her, not wanting to wake her, wrapping an arm around her waist. In the aftermath of another death, he felt like he needed the closeness, to feel her breathing next to him.

It was silly, Remus would gladly admit later, that in light of Moody's death, he was reminded horribly that she had been face-to-face with Voldemort less than a week ago. He could have lost her, she could have been the dead body that he and Bill had spent most of the night searching for.

She jumped slightly when his arm touched her, rolling onto her back to look at him, but then sighed sleepily, taking his hand and shifting closer to him. He lay his forehead against her shoulder, slipping his arm beneath her shoulders as she dozed off again, his other hand clasping hers on top of her chest. It was the most relaxed she had been, but he suspected the second vial on the nightstand had been a Calming Draught.

He closed his eyes, not looking forward to the next day, when he had to tell her that Moody hadn't been found.

* * *

"Tonks, may I speak to you?" Fleur asked, shortly after they arrived and had given Harry their present. Sirius had been able to go to Diagon Alley and buy Harry a new Firebolt, and they were now talking about the broom together, while Remus and Tonks had gotten him a book about defensive spells(which Tonks would always deny as being her idea- books were more Remus' thing).

She nodded, following Fleur into the quiet kitchen of the Burrow.

"I should apologise for the other night." Tonks said. To her surprise, Fleur shook her head.

" _Non_." She said. "I should apologise, Tonks."

"You?" Tonks asked, startled.

"I should not 'ave said what I said zat night." Fleur said, sitting at the table, gesturing for her to sit.

Tonks sat, unsure of what to say. "You don't have to apologise." Tonks said. "You were saying what everyone else was probably thinking, I had no right to try to curse you."

"If eet 'ad been me, who 'ad been accused, I wouldn't 'ave aimed at ze the wall."

"I wasn't aiming for the wall, honestly, but my hand was shaking."

Fleur smiled softly. "Eet was terrible aim, Tonks."

"My hand's steady today, would you like me to retry?"

"What 'appened?" Fleur asked, crossing her arms on the table and leaning forward slightly. "What did zey ask you?"

"They didn't really ask anything too specific, they just wanted information."

"But, you are alright, yes?"

She was a little surprised that Fleur seemed genuinely concerned, and not angry that she had been nearly cursed. "Yes, I- I'm alright."

"I am glad." Fleur said after a moment. "Zere are not many women in ze Order, eet is nice to 'ave someone near my age."

"I'm closer to Bill's age, you're closer to Hermione's age." Tonks said. "But I suppose it's going to be nice having another _young_ married woman around, talking to my mother or Molly is..."

"Not ze same." Fleur said, nodding. "Yes, eet will be nice to 'ave someone who understands what eet is like to be newly married right now."

"I'm not sure it's any different than other times." Tonks said.

"If you could, would you 'ave waited?"

Tonks was quiet for a moment, and then looked out the kitchen window to where everyone was gathered. "Yes."

* * *

"Dora? Are you ready?" Remus asked, walking into the bedroom. Tonks was staring at the mirror, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her hair was blonde and curly, something Remus had only seen once before. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and it hurt that she looked so unhappy.

"I can't do this." She said quietly.

"Do what?"

" _Wear_ this."

"What's wrong with it?" Remus asked, walking towards her. He couldn't see it, honestly. The dark blue dress was absolutely the most beautiful thing he had ever seen on her.

She looked at him in the reflection of the mirror. "I- I need to find something else." She said, heading for the closet.

"Dora, what's wrong?" Remus asked, grabbing her arm gently. "You look beautiful."

"It's- nothing." She said, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Dora, please tell me."

"I feel too exposed." She whispered. "I can just wear something else, I'm sure I have something..."

"Oh, Dora..."

To Remus, the dress suited her. It was exactly what he would have expected her to wear- a short, form fitting dress with strappy shoulders and a low cut back- it was exactly what he would have expected.

"Come here." Remus said, taking her arm and leading her in front of the mirror again. "You know, over the years, I learned a few charms related to clothes. I've had to patch all of mine myself."

"And...?" She asked, as he drew out his wand.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course." Tonks said, frowning slightly.

He traced his wand along the skirt first, lengthening it so it was at least knee-length, moving up to her arms, transfiguring the straps into sleeves that went down to her elbows, turning her around so he could alter the back as well.

"Is that better?" Remus asked as he put his wand away, and she nodded.

"Thank you, Remus." She said, and then she looked down at the dress, laughing lightly. "Remus, how well do you know Muggle fairy tales?"

"If you're about to mention _Cinderella_ -"

"You know it, then?"

"It came out ten years before I was born, of course I do." Remus said, crossing his arms. "But I don't believe Transfiguring your dress makes me-"

"Are you saying the Fairy Godmother didn't use Transfiguration?"

"It's a Muggle movie, Dora-"

"Doesn't necessarily mean wizards didn't help make it." She said.

"Are you feeling better about this, then?" He asked, gesturing to her dress.

She nodded, smiling. She took a step forward, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much, Remus, for putting up with me lately."

"Putting up with you?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her. "Dora, I'm not doing anything I wouldn't do even if the last week hadn't happened. I love you, Nymphadora Tonks."

"Not as much as I love you, Remus Lupin. But please stop calling me Nymphadora." She said, releasing him and stepping towards the door. "We should go, we don't want to be late."

"Don't forget your shoes, Cinderella."

* * *

"Wotcher, Harry." She said quietly as the curly haired redhead looked at them. He frowned slightly. "Arthur told us which one you'd be." She explained, and he nodded, turning to lead them down the aisle. "It must be nice, not to need glasses right now?"

"It's very unusual." Harry said. "I keep trying to adjust them. How are you both, then?"

"We're sorry about last night, Harry." Tonks said.

"The Ministry is being very anti-werewolf lately." Remus explained quietly. "And Dora's been missing from her job for nearly two weeks. We figured our presence wouldn't do you any favours."

"It's fine, I understand." Harry said to them, and Remus gave him a swift smile as they turned to sit. Harry disappeared back down the aisle, and Remus took Tonks' hand.

"I'm sorry you never got this." He said, and she turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"A proper wedding."

"Could you imagine me trying to make my way down an aisle, wearing layers of lace and heels?"

"You're wearing heels right now."

Tonks shrugged. "I can see my feet, I can stay upright." She said. "But a long dress... not my thing."

"So, you don't ever regret it?" Remus said. "Not having a proper wedding, I mean."

"I don't regret not having a proper wedding, Remus." She said. "I love you, and even if we had waited another year or five... it wouldn't have mattered how the wedding happened."

"Do you think it was rushed?"

"It _was_ rushed, love.'' She said. "However, I decided last night, after we got home, that I wouldn't change a thing."

* * *

They were walking along the boundaries, checking that no enchantments had fallen or been broken. Most of the Order had been alternating all night, just to make sure there were no weak spots in the boundaries. She was carrying her shoes in her hand, because she didn't trust herself not to trip on the uneven ground and hurt herself.

"Dora?" Remus asked, watching her as she stared in the direction of the invisible boundaries.

"Mhm?"

"Are you doing alright? Right now?" Remus asked. She had seemed alright most of the wedding, dancing with Bill and then with Charlie and even Sirius- Remus himself wasn't much of a dancer and gladly left her in the safe hands of her school friends and Sirius. She joined him a few moments ago, saying they should take a patrol and let the other Order members enjoy themselves.

She turned to him. "How often will you ask that a day?"

"I'm just- I suppose I'm concerned about how you're handling things."

"Do you think I'm handling everything the wrong way?" Tonks asked.

"I'm concerned that it's hurting you more than you're letting on."

"I'm managing, love."

"And you know-"

"That you'll listen if I need to talk." She said. "Yes, I know."

"Shall we go back, then?" Remus asked, and she nodded. She paused outside the tent to put her shoes back on, using his arm to keep her balance. They walked into the tent, joining Sirius, who was sitting with the twins.

"There you are!" Sirius announced. "Come have a drink with Padfoot, Moony and... Mrs Moony, I guess?"

"Mrs Moony?" Remus asked, as they sat.

"I haven't thought of a nickname for her yet."

"She has two already, does she need more?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, well, I thought it up on the spot, alright?"

"That was pathetic, Sirius, even for you." Tonks commented, as something silver flashed into the tent.

The party seemed to cease as the lynx formed in the middle of the floor, everyone's eyes watching it.

 _"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."_

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment as the cat faded, a silent understanding passing through the crowd like a ripple. There was a series of loud _cracks_ , and somebody screamed. Guests began to run in all different directions, some Disapparating- the enchantments had broken.

"Dora, go." Remus said, as he, Sirius and the twins began trying to place shield charms around the tent. "Go home-"

A spell barely missed them, nearly striking Sirius in the shoulder. Tonks spun, shooting a curse at the masked Death Eater. The masked Death Eater advanced on her, raising his wand.

" _Protego!_ " Her and Remus' voices seemed to echo amidst the duels, the Death Eater's curse rebounding off of the shield, striking him.

The duels were harsh but quick. Most of the guests- including Harry, Ron and Hermione- were gone quickly and only Order members remained. Someone had gotten Fleur's parents and sister out, but Ginny was still there. The only Weasley who had gotten away was Ron.

They were bound, sitting on the ground in the middle of the tent, five Death Eaters facing them. They had all been separated into smaller groups, the Death Eaters believing they'd be able to get more answers.

Rookwood paced, staring at each one of them, before pausing in front of Sirius. "You probably know, don't you? You just refuse to talk."

"You're not wrong."

Rookwood drew out his wand, aiming it at Sirius. " _Crucio!_ "

Sirius fell forward with a scream, writhing on the ground.

"Stop!" Remus demanded, fighting against the ropes on his wrist.

"He's not here!" Tonks yelled, and Rookwood dropped the curse, facing her.

"And do you know where he is?" Rookwood asked.

Tonks said nothing, her eyes wandering to Sirius, who was gasping in pain.

"Oi, Rookwood, ain't that the one who escaped Lucius' place?" Jugson asked. "The one Rodolphus was questioning-"

"I believe you're right, Jugson." Rookwood said. "Did you know you got Pettigrew killed for that?"

"Good." Tonks said. ''He was a coward, just like the rest of your lot."

Rookwood drew his hand back, slapping her across the face with surprising force. She gasped involuntarily, her cheek stinging. "It's a damn shame they didn't silence you." Rookwood said. "Although, I suppose, Rodolphus had more use for you as long as you stayed alive. I wonder how well Bellatrix will reward us for bringing you in-"

"Rookwood! Potter's not here, we're leaving this lot!" Travers said, entering the tent. "The youngest Weasley boy is upstairs, we can assume Potter's with the Mudblood."

"Travers, this is Bellatrix's niece, say we take her in-"

"Leave her. We were here for Potter, and Potter only. Bellatrix can hunt her own kills."


	6. Chapter 6

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 ** _Okay, so I updated the summary because while I *did* plan for the first chapters to include the nice-Snape, I realised that Snape won't be in it until later chapters again. My apologies!_**

 ** _But I do hope you'll like my eventual plan for him._**

* * *

August wore on slowly. After the wedding, Arthur had sent a patronus anywhere he could think of, telling the trio that they were all perfectly fine. Order meetings stopped being a daily occurrence, instead happening only once a week. There was no point gathering all of them in one place just to say nothing had happened and risk having Death Eaters find them.

The week of the full moon was tense, and none of them could understand it. Remus seemed on edge, easily angered, something was bothering him and Sirius couldn't figure out what or why. Perhaps it was because it was the first full moon since Tonks had been assaulted, and the wolf side of Remus was still feeling extremely angered by the fact it had happened.

Tonks was tense and upset because Remus was, and Remus clearly felt terrible for it. In the nights leading up to the full moon, he slept on the couch, just to give her some space.

The night of the full moon, Remus had said he wanted to leave the house completely but Sirius had already begun to reinforce wards on the basement, so he stayed.

Sirius transformed into his dog form right before Remus transformed, staying with him for a while afterwards, and then he went upstairs, turning back as soon as he was out of the basement.

Tonks was already asleep when he went upstairs, so he went to bed himself. Remus had said he didn't need Sirius with him, but Sirius suspected it was mostly because Remus wanted someone near Tonks for the night, despite the fact he didn't want to admit it.

He fell asleep surprisingly quickly, only to wake up a few hours later when someone sat on the edge of his bed. His eyes adjusted to the dark to see Tonks sitting there.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I just wondered, if you remembered when I was younger, and you and James came to visit us for a few days. And you ended sleeping on the floor in my room because-"

"I passed out after reading you a story, yes. Why?"

"Well, do you remember how I had a nightmare, and-"

"I turned into Padfoot. I said he'd protect you. Slept next to you, on your bed, all night as a dog. And then the next day, James showed you that he could turn into an animal as well. I remember. Is there a reason you're thinking about that?"

She nodded.

He sat up, pushing the blankets off. "Did you have a nightmare, Dora?"

"I know it's stupid, but Remus is gone and-"

"You didn't take a Dreamless Sleep Potion."

She shook her head. "I sometimes feel really tired the next day after I take one, so I just... don't take it often."

"Come here." Sirius said, patting the bed next to him. She moved closer on the bed, and he dragged the blanket around her before standing, turning into the big black dog. He jumped onto the bed, curling up with his back against her side. She rolled over, wrapping an arm tightly around him, her hand resting on his front paw.

"Thank you, Sirius." She whispered, her cheek on his shoulder.

* * *

September hit, and the tension seemed to double. This time, however, Tonks became the cause. She snapped at Sirius and Remus constantly over the course of the first week of September.

"It's not just me, is it?" Sirius asked, sitting next to Remus as they heard one of the doors upstairs slam less than five minutes after she returned home. "She seems..."

"She's struggling. Something's bothering her, and she won't tell me." Remus said. "We'll just leave it alone, she'll talk when she wants to."

"But we're also leaving her to wander Diagon Alley alone?" Sirius asked. "She said we needed potion supplies-"

"But we don't, I know." Remus said. "I figure it can't hurt to let her do whatever she's been doing, if she feels she has something to do that doesn't involve us."

"You're just saying that because you're too scared to ask again, right?"

Remus nodded after a moment, and Sirius laughed loudly.

"It's not even that, really, if it's something to do with what happened in July... I'm not going to push her. I'm just going to let her handle it however she sees fit."

"You're not concerned?"

"Of course I am." Remus said. "But I'm not going to harass her about it, Sirius."

"Do you think she's told her parents?" Sirius asked, and Remus shook his head.

"I don't think she's told anyone but us." Remus said. "And that's her business. If she doesn't want people to know..."

Sirius nodded. "I'm going to go ask if she's alright." He decided.

"Sirius, if she won't talk to me-"

"You're her husband, maybe that's not what she needs right now." Sirius said, standing and heading for the stairs. He headed for their closed bedroom door, assuming she was in there.

The bathroom door opened just as Sirius walked by, and he felt her hand close around his wrist, pulling him into the bathroom.

"What the Bloody Hell-?" He asked as she slammed the door behind him.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked, holding a vial of bright purple fluid. Her hand was trembling, and Sirius half expected her to drop the vial.

"Uh... no?"

She grabbed a vial of clear liquid off the counter so that she was now holding both vials in front of his face. "What about this?"

"Veritaserum?"

"Don't be stupid." She snapped putting the vials down and handing him a small piece of parchment. "It's a pregnancy potion. Read that."

He looked down at the parchment, which explained that the potion was clear until a drop of blood was added, became black if the user wasn't pregnant, and...

"Purple if you are." He said quietly. "Merlin..."

"Keep reading." She said.

Sirius continued reading. "It only recognises a pregnancy at least six weeks along." He read, and then looked at her. "Why do-"

"You know what was six weeks ago?" She asked, and then he realised. It was the 7th of September, and roughly six weeks ago...

"Oh Merlin." He muttered. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know.'' She said, staring at the floor. "I- I'm hoping it's a faulty potion. And it says _at least_ six weeks, but perhaps..."

"Perhaps, in your case, it's seven." Sirius said. "Did you and Remus- were you two-"

"We used spells." She said quietly. "I know the spells aren't always- there is a chance maybe we missed one or two, or something- because we didn't use... Muggle contraception seems foolish if one has magic, right?"

"And Rodolphus- he didn't...?"

"They were planning on killing me, Sirius, do you think he really cared?" She asked. "But- maybe it's a faulty potion?"

"So try the second one, why else would you have bought two?"

She stared at the vial of clear fluid, and then uncorked it. She placed it on the counter, picking up a pin, pricking the tip of her pointer finger. She squeezed the tip of her finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall into the vial.

A few seconds passed, and the vial was suddenly full of purple fluid.

"Shit." Sirius said as Tonks sat slowly on the edge of the tub. "Dora, maybe it's not so bad-"

"It _is_ bad, Sirius! I'm pregnant, and it might not be my husband's!"

"We can go to St Mungo's, lie about your name, get a Healer to confirm how far along you are-"

"The problem with that, Sirius, is that the last time Remus and I... well, it was the morning before I went to Malfoy Manor-"

''When did you two have time?" Sirius asked automatically. "We were at Kingsley's all day-"

"We were late to the meeting, Sirius."

Realisation dawned on Sirius' face. "Huh." He said. "Now I can see _you_ being late because of that, but Remus is usually always on time, I'm surprised you convinced him to arrive late-"

"That doesn't matter, Sirius!" Tonks snapped. "What matters is I'm pregnant, and I don't know what to do."

Sirius was quiet for a minute, staring at the two vials on the counter. "You need to tell Remus. He can help you, you two can talk about your options, you know he'll support you no matter what. And you should talk to your parents-''

"No."

"Dora, if you go through with this, and have this baby, how will you explain it if one day- say, twenty years from now- suddenly there's a child that looks like Rodolph-"

"Don't say it." She said. "I can't tell my parents, I can't tell them that - that I was raped. I can't tell anyone, Sirius, I just- oh, God, I'm pregnant."

She buried her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking. He knelt in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine, Dora. We'll figure this out." He said.

She looked up at him for a moment, tears on her cheeks.

"It'll be fine, alright?" He asked gently, and she leaned forward, throwing her arms around him, sobbing and clutching at the back of his shirt. He rubbed her back slowly, unsure if there was anything else he could do for her, and secretly wishing he hadn't killed Rodolphus, just so he could do it again.

* * *

Sirius knew something he didn't, Remus decided two days later. He figured it out when Sirius asked Tonks if she was feeling alright, and when Sirius told Remus that Tonks needed to go to Diagon Alley _alone_. Sirius was covering for her, and Remus was confused as to why.

He didn't necessarily _need_ to know, he was just a little concerned. When she got home from Diagon Alley that afternoon, she didn't even look at him. She nodded at Sirius and went upstairs, and Sirius returned his attention to the Daily Prophet in front of him.

"The Ministry's making a move against Muggle-borns, setting up a Muggle-born Register-"

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"Well, apparently, they think Muggle-borns can't actually exist and say they must have taken magic through theft or-"

"I'm talking about Dora." Remus said, and Sirius looked up at him. "What's wrong with her?"

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Sirius asked, placing the Daily Prophet down and leaning forward.

"I know you know something." Remus said. "And the nod! Like you two have some secret that I'm not allowed to know about-"

"That was just her way of telling me she found what she was looking for."

"Then what was she looking for?" Remus asked.

"Mate, I'm not going to tell you. She has to."

"But you admit that you know something?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded after a moment. "Like I said, it's something she needs to tell you." He said. Remus stood, and Sirius spoke again. "If she doesn't want to tell you, don't harass her, yeah?"

"Didn't you harass the other day?" Remus asked.

"Not technically, I simply went to ask her if she was alright and she told me."

Remus nodded. "If she doesn't tell me, she doesn't tell me."

He went up the stairs, walking down the hallway into their bedroom where she was curled up on her side, practically hanging off of the edge of the bed, flipping through a book that was on the ground. When she caught a glimpse of him entering the room, she slammed the book closed and shoved it beneath the bed and sat up. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he sat beside her slowly.

"Are you alright?" He asked, reaching towards her. She shooed his hand away before it even touched her.

"Don't touch me right now."

"Are you alright?" He repeated.

"No." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Dora, please tell me, what's-?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What?" He asked, his mouth suddenly feeling incredibly dry.

"I took a potion- two, actually- and it's- it only detects pregnancies _at least_ six weeks along- and six weeks ago was the end of July and-" She broke off, bursting into tears.

"Oh _God_ , Dora..." He said, exhaling slowly. "Dora, what can I do?"

She shook her head. "Nothing- I don't have to- there's a spell, I can cast it on myself and it'll terminate the-"

" _Dora..._ Please don't go casting random spells on yourself."

''-but I don't know if I should, because it could be _yours_ but what if I go through this and find out later, it's not?"

"No matter what, this baby will be mine." Remus said. "If you decide to go through with it, your child is my child."

She stared at the floor, wiping tears from her face.

"Dora, whatever you decide to do, I'm going to support you." Remus said. "But if you decide to... use the spell, don't cast it on yourself, if you were to ever hurt yourself because of this..." He took a deep breath. "If you decide, Dora, to terminate it- I won't argue- but _please_ don't cast it on yourself. St Mungo's might have a Healer or two that can do it for you. And if you decide you _can't_ do that, and decide to keep it, do you honestly think I'd go anywhere?"

"I'm really scared, Remus." She said quietly.

"I know, love." He said quietly, reaching to put an arm around her. He almost expected her to flinch away, but instead she leaned on him. "Are you feeling alright? So far?"

She shook her head. "I've been feeling a little nauseous these last few days, and I've been really tired..." She said. "And I'm sorry I've been so mean."

"You apologise far too much." Remus said. "You've dealt with a lot in the last few weeks alone, any sane person wouldn't expect you to remain the same person you once were."

"I _want_ to be the same person I was, though."

"Dora, Remus?" Sirius called, as they heard his footsteps running up the stairs. He stopped in the door, wand in his hand. "Kingsley just sent a patronus, Death Eaters are searching houses they believe to be connected to Order members."

"And?" Remus asked.

"They know about this house." Sirius said. "We need to leave, Kingsley said to grab only what we _absolutely_ need, and go somewhere safe until he knows they've searched this house. If we're caught, I don't think they'll let us off with a warning. We may only have a few minutes, maybe a few hours. We have to be fast."

He disappeared from the doorway, and Remus stood, walking to the closet. He grabbed his old suitcase, muttering an extension charm and turning to put it on the bed as she grabbed clothes out of their dresser to stuff in. She waved her wand, summoning the book she had shoved under the bed, adding it to the suitcase. He grabbed a few books, a few things he had always owned over the years- could he trust Death Eaters not to destroy the house? Probably not.

He shut the suitcase after Tonks, who had the same thought as him, had added a few last things. He shrunk the suitcase, tucking it into the pocket of his robes. She grabbed a rucksack, heading downstairs ahead of him. When he got downstairs, she was shoving potions into the bag, and most of their potion ingredients and the smaller cauldron they had. Remus took the bag from her, shrinking it and putting it in his pocket as well just as Sirius came down the stairs.

He was tucking a shrunken bag into his pocket as well. "We should take down the enchantments." He said as they walked out the back door.

"Why?" Tonks asked.

"If they come here, and have to break charms-"

"They'll know for sure we've been here." Remus said with a nod. They walked out of the boundaries, and Remus turned to the house. He waved his wand, walking along the boundary line for a few feet, removing any enchantments he had placed.

They heard the sound of people Apparating, and turned, walking quickly into the trees that surrounded the home. They could hear loud voices, but not what they were saying, and saw Death Eaters walk out of the back door of the house. They heard a loud cackling laugh, and saw Bellatrix join the Death Eaters in the yard.

"Well, since they're not here, I suppose they won't miss much!" Bellatrix said, pointing her wand at the house. The upstairs windows shattered as flames erupted, engulfing the upper floor immediately. Bellatrix laughed louder, aiming her wand and flames erupted from the lower floor too.

"We should go." Remus said quietly, taking Tonks' arm. "In case they come out this way. I doubt they'll leave quickly, it'd give us a chance to repair it. If they stay, they know we won't be able to."

"Where are we going to go?" Tonks asked as they walked deeper into the trees.

"Grimmauld.'' Sirius said, following them. "And then we can check how secure Andy's house is, maybe go there.''

"But will Grimmauld be safe?" Remus asked. "Severus would probably be able to-"

"I doubt he will. He's at Hogwarts." Sirius said.

"How do we know he hasn't told anyone about it?" Remus asked.

"I don't think he'd do that." Tonks said.

"How would you know?" Remus asked. "He killed Albus-"

"I don't know, I just don't think he would." She said. "I agree with Sirius, we should go to Grimmauld."


	7. Chapter 7

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 ** _Okay, so I updated the summary because while I *did* plan for the first chapters to include the nice-Snape, I realised that Snape won't be in it until later chapters again. My apologies!_**

 ** _But I do hope you'll like my eventual plan for him._**

* * *

"We didn't kill you, Albus." Sirius said as soon as his tongue unrolled. They continued into the house, only to be met with two wands.

"Prove yourselves." Harry said.

"I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag." Remus said.

"I'm Sirius Orion Black, Animagus, known as Padfoot- also one of the four who created the Marauder's Map. This is my parents' house, and was used as Headquarters for the Order until Albus Dumbledore was killed." Sirius said. "I can turn into my form, if you'd like."

"I'm Nymphadora Tonks- now Lupin- usually known as simply Tonks. I'm a Metamorphmagus, that's usually the only proof I need." She said, shifting her hair blue and then letting it drop back to brown.

"Thank goodness!" Hermione said, stowing her wand away.

"Where's Ron?" Remus asked.

Hermione and Harry exchanged looks. "He got Splinched. He's downstairs in the kitchen, we were trying to plan out what we're doing next, come on." Hermione said, heading down into the kitchen.

Sirius threw an arm around Harry, both following Hermione. Remus took Tonks' hand gently. "It's alright, we don't have to say anything. They don't have to know." He said, and she nodded as they followed.

"No sign of Severus, then?" Remus asked as they entered the kitchen. Ron was sitting at the table, one of his arms bandaged. For a moment, Sirius looked around, a little confused by how _clean_ the kitchen seemed to be.

"We made friends with Kreacher." Harry said hastily. "And no, no sign of Snape."

"Told you, Moony." Sirius said as they all sat down. "He's-"

"Headmaster now, yeah, we heard." Hermione said.

"What happened to you, Ron? To get Splinched?" Remus asked.

"We, uh, visited the Ministry." Harry said.

"You _what_?" Sirius demanded.

"We had to get something- and we did get it- and just had a run in with Yaxley." Harry said.

"What did you need to get from the Ministry?" Remus asked.

"We can't tell you." Harry said.

"I've been hearing that a lot in the last few days." Remus said, looking at Sirius, who shrugged. "You three weren't foolish enough to go without any kind of disguises-?"

"No, we used Polyjuice." Hermione said. "We were followed by Yaxley as we were leaving, and he grabbed my arm when we Disapparated to come back here-"

"You didn't bring him _here_ , did you?" Tonks asked, and Hermione shook her head.

"I Apparated a block away, actually, and we were able to get away, but Ron's arm got Splinched." Hermione said. "But the Order, what's been happening? We haven't heard anything since-"

"Kingsley saved us." Sirius said. "There were only a few of us left when the Death Eaters began to question us, and they questioned us for hours- weren't very gentle about it either-"

"The Order has been restricting meetings. There's been no news lately, so there's no pointing having all of us in one location if we don't need to be there." Tonks explained. "It would be dangerous, and an invitation for some kind of mass execution if they found a meeting."

"Have they found many of you, then?" Ron asked.

"They burned down our house." Remus said. "That's why we came here. It's safer than other alternatives, and we're going to contact Dora's parents to see how secure their house is. But where did you go, after the wedding? Did you come straight here?"

"Not exactly..." Hermione said.

"We ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a café on Tottenham Court Road." Harry explained.

" _What_?" Remus and Sirius demanded.

"Small duel, we Obliviated them." Ron said.

"How did they find you?" Remus asked.

"We don't know." Hermione said. "We were wondering, if it was possible, that Harry could still have the Trace?"

"Impossible." Remus said. "The Trace breaks at seventeen, it's the law."

"It doesn't explain how they could have found you, though." Sirius said. "That's concerning."

"What happened to the others?" Harry asked. "After the wedding?"

"Were they Death Eaters or Ministry people?" Hermione asked.

"A mixture, but for all intents and purposes, they're the same thing now." Remus said. "Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it's true, he didn't give you away. The Death Eaters searched the Burrow from top to bottom. They found the ghoul, but didn't want to get too close—and then they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but of course nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there."

"And while they were doing that, apparently there were others visiting other Order members." Sirius said. "They burned down Dedalus Diggle's place, but he wasn't there. Tortured Dora's parents- they're fine, just a little shaken- but knew you had been there and wanted to know where you had gone after-"

"And they refused to answer." Tonks said.

"Much like their daughter, Ted and Andromeda are extremely stubborn and will only answer what they want to." Sirius said.

"The Death Eaters got through all those protective charms?" Harry asked.

"What you've got to realize, Harry, is that the Death Eaters have got the full might of the Ministry on their side now." Remus said. "They've got the power to perform brutal spells without fear of identification or arrest. They managed to penetrate every defensive spell we'd cast against them, and once inside, they were completely open about why they'd come."

"And are they bothering to give an excuse for torturing Harry's whereabouts out of people?" Hermione asked.

"Well, yes." Tonks said. "How often do you read the Daily Prophet?"

The three exchanged looks.

"That's what we thought." Sirius said, pulling a copy of the paper from his robes, sliding it across the table to them.

"They've taken over the Daily Prophet, then?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking with anger as Harry pushed the paper away.

"Unfortunately." Remus replied.

"But people must know-" Ron began.

"They're too scared to talk outright." Tonks said. "People don't even seem to know Scrimgeour is _dead_ , they've said he's resigned."

"So, is Voldemort Minister, then?" Harry asked.

"Pius Thicknesse." Remus replied. "Effectively, Voldemort is the Minister, but why should he sit behind a desk at the Ministry? His puppet, Thicknesse, is taking care of everyday business, leaving Voldemort free to extend his power beyond the Ministry. Naturally many people have deduced what has happened: There has been such a dramatic change in Ministry policy in the last few days, and many are whispering that Voldemort must be behind it. However, that is the point: They whisper. They daren't confide in each other, not knowing whom to trust; they are scared to speak out, in case their suspicions are true and their families are targeted. Yes, Voldemort is playing a very clever game. Declaring himself might have provoked open rebellion: Remaining masked has created confusion, uncertainty, and fear."

"And this dramatic change in Ministry policy, involves warning the Wizarding world against me instead of Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"That's certainly part of it." Sirius said. "Now that Dumbledore is dead, you—the Boy Who Lived—were sure to be the symbol and rallying point for any resistance to Voldemort. "

"And now people will mistrust you, believing you had something to do with it." Tonks said. "Anyone who might have defended you... well, they won't, now."

There was a tense silence before Remus spoke again. "Harry, we know Dumbledore asked you to do something. Will you still not confide in us? Accept our help?"

Harry looked uneasy, looking down at the parchment that covered the table.

"Harry, they would be helpful to have around..." Hermione said quietly. "They might know things we haven't uncovered yet."

Harry looked up at them. "You'd be willing to help, completely?" He asked.

"Completely." Sirius said.

"It has to be me, in the end." Harry said. "But I'd be lying if I said we couldn't use the help of three experienced adults until then."

"So, what have you been doing?" Sirius asked. "And why did you need to go to the Ministry?"

"Are we telling them everything, Harry?" Hermione asked, and Harry nodded slowly.

"I think so." He said. "What do you know about Horcruxes?"

* * *

The book she had found in Diagon Alley seemed to include information about _every_ aspect of a pregnancy- from conception to birth, from miscarriage causes to the spell to terminate a pregnancy. She had also found, in one of the back chapters a potion that could tell her- but the problem was it only worked _after_ the baby was born, and needed hair from the father, and Rodolphus was dead. If she were to go through this pregnancy, and test it against Remus, only to find out he wasn't the father...

The morning after they arrived at Grimmauld, she had woken up feeling absolutely terrible. She was sore in places she didn't want to be sore, she was tired even though she had ended up sleeping almost eleven hours- after going to bed extremely early compared to the others, and her nausea escalated to vomiting.

When she finally wandered down to the kitchen, nearly three hours after she sent Remus away because she "was fine", Ron, Sirius and Hermione were nowhere to be seen and Remus and Harry were bent over some parchment at the table.

"Are you hungry?" Remus asked, slowly standing.

"Quite the opposite, actually." She said, sinking into a chair. "Where are the others?"

"We're not good enough company, love?" Remus asked, sitting down again, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "They're in Diagon Alley."

"Why?" Tonks asked, frowning.

"We need more Polyjuice potion." Harry said. "They've used some of what we had left, and are going to by separate ingredients at separate stores so no one suspects and stops selling them the ingredients. I mean, it is useful to have _you_ but we all might need to disguise ourselves as well."

"Can you take Polyjuice, Remus?" Tonks asked, realising she really didn't know much about werewolves.

He shrugged. "We'll find out, won't we?"

"Remus..." She said slowly.

"I'll use human transfiguration, I won't risk Polyjuice, because I honestly don't know if I could or not.'' Remus said.

"Harry, what's the next move, then?" Tonks asked. "You've got one Horcrux, but do you know where the rest are or how many there are?"

"I have no idea where they are." Harry admitted. "But Dumbledore told me he believed there were seven pieces of Voldemort's soul in total, and two Horcruxes are already destroyed... So there should be three more, now that we have the locket, and then Voldemort himself."

"And do you know what they are?"

"Not exactly..." Harry said slowly. "But we know the locket is one, Dumbledore suspected he'd want something from the other three Houses as well- and we both thought Hufflepuff's cup is one- and then something from Ravenclaw or Gryffindor- and the snake."

"The snake?" Tonks asked, and Harry nodded. "God, I really hate that snake. What's your plan for finding them?"

"Well, we know the snake is always with Voldemort himself, so that one will have to wait. The others... I don't know how we're going to find them."

"And what about destroying them?" Tonks asked. "How does one destroy a Horcrux?"

"Well, a basilisk fang was used on the first two..." Harry said slowly.

"Do you _have_ a basilisk fang?" Tonks asked, frowning.

"No." Harry said.

"I'm sure there are other ways, we just need to find them." Remus said.

"So the plan right now is just to find the Horcruxes?" Tonks asked, and Harry nodded.

"I'd say it's the most important thing to do right now. If we have all of them, we can destroy them all at once when we figure out how." Harry said. "Hermione left a book upstairs, it's about Horcruxes, I'll go get it, maybe we can learn something else about them."

When he left, and she was sure he was out of earshot, she turned to Remus. "I think I know what I'm going to do." She said. "The fact remains that it is my child and no matter what, it's going to be my baby. And the chance that it's yours as well... well, that chance is high, so... I can't get rid of it, Remus."

He nodded. "We'll need to figure out what to do, then. We'll need things for the baby, you'll need maternity clothes- but we might have a month or two before that really becomes an issue- and obviously, if the others have to travel to find a Horcrux, we can't go with-"

"We?" Tonks asked.

"I told you, no matter what, we're going to get through this together." Remus said.

"And you're not going to resent me for this, will you?"

"Why would you ever think I'd resent you?"

"If this isn't your baby..."

"I told you, this baby _is_ mine." Remus said. "Dora, you know I didn't want to risk passing on my condition to a child, so the chance that this baby _is_ actually mine is a little a frightening, but even if it's not... I'll raise him or her as if they were. What happened to you is terrible, but I won't punish you or your child for it.''

She felt tears stinging her eyes, and reached for his hand across the table. "I don't think I deserve you, Remus."

"You know, I always thought that it was the other way around." He said, stroking the back of her hand. "That I don't deserve you. Now, you should eat something. And then we have to discuss- later, when we're alone again- when we should tell the others."

"And we need to talk to my parents." She said.

Unfortunately, she wasn't given the chance to actually tell the others.

That evening, Kreacher was gone- Harry had asked him to go to Hogwarts and keep an eye on what was happening there- so Remus, being one of the few who could actually cook anything edible, was making dinner. Tonks was trying to help- but really, she was just using it as an excuse for them to talk quietly while the others were at the table, going over a list of other potions and potion ingredients they'd probably need by the end of the week.

She could feel the nausea building quickly, and turned just in time to vomit into the empty sink. Remus dropped the spoon he had been holding, and was right next to her immediately, holding her hair back. He turned the water on, running his hand underneath the water, pressing his dampened hand to her forehead.

"You're alright." He said quietly.

"So, the spell didn't work, or you didn't even do it." Sirius said, and she dropped her head into her hands, leaning on the sink.

"She didn't." Remus said. He grabbed a glass, filling it with water. He handed it to her and then waved his wand above the sink, cleaning the mess. "Dora, sit down."

He took her arm, leading her to the table.

"Are you alright, Tonks?" Hermione asked gently.

Tonks looked at Remus, who nodded slightly. She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations!" Hermione squealed.

"That's brilliant!" Ron and Harry said.

"So, you aren't doing the spell?" Sirius asked, and she shook her head.

"What spell?" Hermione asked.

"To terminate the pregnancy." Tonks said.

"You were actually thinking of...?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"It's a difficult situation, Hermione." Remus said from by the stove. "Dora, you don't have to explain."

She shook her head. "No, I wasn't going to, Remus. There's just a little concern that the baby may inherit certain aspects from its father." She said.

"The Black family traits have always been far too dominant, I don't see your child being much different, Dora." Sirius said.

"Excuse you, Sirius, I happen to have my father's nose-"

"And that's _all_ you inherited from your father." Sirius said.

"If it's a matter of inheriting from a father, perhaps we'll be lucky if the baby doesn't inherit _anything_ from me." Remus said.

"It would be better than the alternative, Remus." Tonks said quietly.

"It could inherit from you.'' Sirius said to her. "How useful would that be? Another Metamorphmagus finally-?"

"I'm sure there are others around the Wizarding World, they just might be better at concealing themselves and their abilities." Tonks said. "However, it'd be useful if we knew more of them now... considering I won't be able to help the Order for a while."

* * *

"What are you going to tell your parents?" Remus asked later that night when they were alone.

"I don't know." She said. "They'll be concerned that the baby could be a werewolf, I'm sure- because there probably isn't much information to say otherwise- but I don't know if I could tell them what happened."

"Maybe you don't have to." Remus said. "We can simply tell everyone it is mine, ask Sirius not to say anything, and then-"

"There's a potion that will tell us." She said. "It takes a week to brew, so we can brew it near the end of the pregnancy, and then we can find out."

"And then what?" Remus asked. "If we find out that Rodolphus is the father?"

"I don't know." She said. "But I also don't think I can go through a pregnancy and birth and raising a child without ever knowing, but I also don't know how I'll feel if I found out that it's Rodolphus' child and not yours."

"Well, you have time to think about it, I suppose."

"Do you want to know?"

Remus thought for a minute. "I don't know." He said. "But it doesn't matter, does it? I think it should be your choice if we find out."

She sighed. "Sometimes I really need your opinion, Remus." She said. "I don't trust myself to make decisions alone sometimes."

"Well, like I said, I suppose we have months to discuss this."

There was a moment of silence, and then she spoke again. "Remus?"

"Yes, love?"

"If you're willing to lie and say that you're this child's father, would you be willing to modify my memory so that I believe it as well?"

* * *

 _ **Yes, yes, I know... this used to be Chapter 11, The Bribe, but nope. Harry's more agreeing- which we know Remus and Tonks(especially Tonks) will have to have limited involvement.**_


	8. Chapter 8

Hi readers!

Before this point, the first seven chapters were actually fifteen chapters. I am hoping I didn't accidentally delete an entire chapter of information, but the word count seems to be the same as before, so hopefully!

If there seem to be big gaps in the story line, shoot me a message, ask any question and I shall respond!

Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ALSO I APOLOGISE FOR NOT UPDATING FOR A FEW DAYS, I DID THE COMBINE THING, AND THEN SOME GOOD NEWS CAME MY WAY SO I'M TOTALLY OUT OF THE FANFIC ZONE FOR A MOMENT_

 ** _Also, the last part of this totally turned into a "here's a giant summary while I move towards the setting I want it to be."_**

* * *

The Tonks family home was a quiet one, settled in a small town a few hours from London. Andromeda usually spent the days gardening in a greenhouse she kept a charm on so that she could grow things all year round or finding things to organise or rearrange around the house, meaning the house was always just a little different each day. She had been a Healer for three years before she married Ted and became a mother, and then she continued working as a Healer for another four years while Ted stayed home with Tonks, before they switched and Andromeda became a stay at home mother, something she didn't change even once Tonks was an adult and gone from their home.

This was why Andromeda always looked forward to her daughter's visits, even though they were slowly becoming less and less likely to happen, and when they did happen, Tonks rarely gave them much warning, which unfortunately meant her father wasn't around when she had shown up this time.

"Your father had to leave." Andromeda said as they sat in the living room.

"When?" Tonks asked. "He didn't even stay long enough to say goodbye-"

"He left last night, we didn't know you'd be coming today, I'm sure he would have been here if we knew." Andromeda said gently. "There have been Death Eaters seen nearby, and Ted knew they'd be coming for him eventually. Dora, he'll come back, as soon as it's safe-''

"We came today to talk to _both_ of you." Tonks said.

"Is something wrong?" Andromeda asked, looking between her and Remus.

"How secure is this house, do you think?" Tonks asked.

"Not very, they all must know where it is. Bella certainly does." Andromeda said. "Why?"

"The Death Eaters burned our house down the other day, we've been at Grimmauld since... and I think Grimmauld will be the safest place for us." Tonks said, glancing at Remus. "But that's not the only reason we came by today."

"Unfortunately living in one house for thirty years is dangerous now." Andromeda said. "You'll definitely be safer somewhere else, I won't be bothered if they know you and your father are gone. But darling, you look upset about something, what was the other reason you came by?"

Tonks took Remus' hand, her heart pounding. "Mum, I'm pregnant."

Andromeda was quiet for a moment, staring at Tonks. And then she smiled. "Dora, that's fantastic!" She said, and then realised Tonks wasn't smiling. Andromeda frowned slightly. "You're not happy."

"I'm trying to be." Tonks said. "I'm really trying."

"Is it because... is there a possibility that it could be a werewolf?" Andromeda asked, looking at Remus.

"We don't know." Remus said. "I would imagine that is a risk."

"And it's not just that." Tonks said.

"Is it the war?" Andromeda asked. "Love, I know you won't be able to go to St Mungo's, but I was a Healer for seven years, I've delivered babies and I'm sure Molly can help if we need it."

She shook her head. "I really didn't want to tell anyone, but you're my mother and I think you should know."

"Know what, dear?"

Tonks felt extremely uncomfortable, but she also knew Andromeda deserved to know. "The baby might not be Remus'."

Andromeda raised her eyebrows, and then frowned almost immediately. "Dora, what do you mean? Whose would it be?"

Tonks took a deep breath. "You know how Kingsley came to speak to you in July-"

"About how you went to a Death Eater meeting and went missing for two days, yes."

Tonks could feel her hands shaking slightly. "Rodolphus Lestrange was there, when Bellatrix was questioning me-"

"What did he do?" Andromeda demanded, but Tonks felt her voice fail her, tears filling her eyes. "Dora, what did he do to you?" Andromeda repeated, her voice shaking slightly.

"I suppose they thought I'd answer the questions." Tonks finally said.

Andromeda looked horrified. "Oh, Dora... Oh, _God_."

"I'm keeping it, merely for the chance it is Remus'- and the fact that at the end of the day, it's still my child." Tonks said. "But I need help, Mum. I don't really know what to do for sure, I mean, I bought a book but-"

"Books are boring." Andromeda said quietly, still obviously a little shaken by the news that her brother-in-law had done such a thing to her daughter. "I wonder if Sirius would mind if I came to stay with you? Grimmauld is the safest place for you, safer than here, and you said you need my help, so-"

"I'm sure he won't mind. Grimmauld definitely has room." Tonks said. "I- uh, was just wondering, Mum, if perhaps you could never mention this? We'd like everyone to think it is Remus' baby."

"Of course, love, whatever you wish."

* * *

"You two have been arguing all week! Enough, already!" Hermione snapped, standing between the two of them.

"I'm just saying-"

"Ron, I _don't care_!" Hermione said. "We can't be fighting right now! I know you miss your family, Ron, we _all_ have people we miss right now! But we need to find the Horcruxes. The Order is still around, and I'm sure if there's another meeting, your family will be there."

"I'm just saying, it must be easy for Harry-"

"Easy for me?" Harry demanded. "Sirius is gone _all day_ , spying for us, and hoping he simply doesn't get caught because we won't have more Polyjuice potion for another _week_ and-"

"Sirius is the best option we have, he's the only one who can safely come and go, he knows how to avoid being caught-" Hermione began.

"And at least you see him!" Ron added.

"Stop it, both of you!" Hermione cried. "I'm tired of this, all this arguing! If we fight amongst ourselves, we're doomed."

There was an uncomfortable silence as she stared at both of them, daring them to continue their squabble. They didn't seem to want to continue, instead turning and sitting in different chairs across the room from each other.

"Good." Hermione said. "We need to figure out how to destroy the locket, and I think I know how we can do it."

Harry looked at her hopefully. "How? We haven't got any basilisk fangs-"

"You stabbed the basilisk with the sword." Hermione said.

"Uh, yes, I remember that." Harry said, frowning slightly.

"The sword was made by goblins, it only takes in what makes it stronger."

"So we need the sword?" Harry asked. "But-"

"It's been stolen." Ron said. "So now we have to add that to list of things we can't bloody well find."

"We just need to think about where it might be." Hermione said. "Perhaps-"

"Where it _might_ be." Ron said, rolling his eyes. "We have no idea where the sword is, or the rest of the Horcruxes, it could take forever to find them!"

"We have help, I'm sure we can figure out a way to find them-" Harry began.

"Oh yeah, loads of help. We have an Animagus, two people who won't travel with us if we need to leave, _real_ helpful." Ron commented.

"Stop it." Hermione repeated. "We can't keep fighting with each other, or we'll never defeat Voldemort."

* * *

Remus knew she often didn't feel well, he knew she was still upset and trying to convince herself this was Remus' baby and not Rodolphus', and he did feel terrible that he had refused to modify her memory. When he mentioned it to Sirius later, worried he had done the wrong thing, Sirius had agreed with him. What good would it do for her to forget what had happened, when she still had the scar from Bellatrix stabbing her to show that it had happened? And if, years into the future, their child looked undeniably like Rodolphus Lestrange?

She was usually up early in the morning, sick once again, and once it seemed to pass, she simply went back to bed for a couple of hours. Weeks had passed since they had found out, and while the all day nausea that had forced her to reveal her pregnancy had already seemed to pass, she still had moments(usually first thing in the morning and late in the evening) where she didn't feel well.

Remus was glad her energy seemed to picking up again, there were a couple days where she showed interest in helping with the Horcrux research. When Andromeda had joined them at Grimmauld nearly a week after they had announced Tonks' pregnancy, she had suggested they bring Ted's car with them so they could travel without magic as much as possible. Tonks and Remus were the only ones who actually knew how to drive, and Sirius' bike was still being stored- in pieces- in Arthur's shed.

And because she wasn't allowed to leave the house on any Order or Horcrux related business, Tonks was only allowed to leave- if she morphed her features to be unrecognizable- to buy groceries and anything they needed from Muggle London. Sirius and Andromeda had gone to Gringotts and withdrew a large portion of their vaults, getting some of the Wizard currency converted to Muggle money, hoping to limit their visits to Diagon Alley as much as possible.

Tonks had decided, if she wasn't allowed to leave _except_ to pick up things from shops, she'd do it in small and more frequent trips. While it required more morphing, it sometimes got her out of Grimmauld Place multiple times a day.

By mid November, it seemed most of her morning sickness was behind her. There hadn't been an Order meeting since September, because most of the Order had separated and gone into hiding- there was no point in them all meeting if there was no news. This meant Tonks was able to conceal her pregnancy longer, despite the fact she was beginning to show. The cold weather worked in her favour, and she simply borrowed jumpers and shirts from Remus.

Sirius, Harry, Ron and Hermione had been gone for a week, trying to track down the sword or another Horcrux. Andromeda had been going home periodically, just to make it look like she was still living there, and see if Ted had been back to leave any messages.

It was the first time Remus and Tonks were completely alone since the night they had gotten married, and they had ended up spending most of the afternoon sitting at the kitchen table and working over a list of things Tonks had to go get the next day.

Tonks set down her quill, watching Remus read over a piece of parchment in front of him.

"Remus?"

He looked up at her, setting down his own quill. "Is something wrong?"

"Can I just- does it bother you?" She asked. "Please, tell me, Remus. Does it bother you that this may not be your child? I'm worried that it does and you're just afraid to tell me-"

He reached for her hand across the table. "I've told you, Dora. No matter what, this child- any child of yours is a child of mine."

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?" She asked. "Maybe I should have gone to St Mungo's and-"

"Dora, that's not what you wanted. You and I both know that." Remus said, and then he looked at his watch. "I should go. You'll get some sleep tonight?"

She nodded, and he stood. She stood, walking around the table, wrapping her arms around him, kissing him. "I love you." She said, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I hope so, you married me."

"Please don't injure yourself tonight." She said as she released him.

"I won't, love." He promised, heading through the door inside of the pantry that led to the cellar. She went upstairs, fully intending to actually sleep that night. She was woken up by a large silver dog appearing at the foot of her bed.

 _"Pick us up at the Dublin Castle at two."_

Sirius' voice faded as the dog did, and she sighed. She was tempted to send a patronus back, telling them to simply Apparate closer and walk, but she knew they would have done just that if they were able to.

She grabbed her wand, standing and heading downstairs. It was just after one-thirty, and traffic wasn't usually too terrible in the middle of the night, and if she showed up a few minutes after two, she'd just tell Sirius to sod off.

She took her time, knowing she really only needed about fifteen minutes to get there, arriving just before two. She could see that the pub was crowded with Muggles and a few men were outside smoking, and she tucked her wand underneath her thigh. She didn't want to conceal it completely in case she needed it, and she didn't want to risk having anyone see it.

The passenger door opened, and she turned to see Sirius, his eye swollen and bruised. "Morph." He said, looking at her. She rolled her eyes, checked to make sure no one was looking their direction, and changed her hair to blonde and then back to brown.

"Alright come on, I'm tired." She said.

"How do you know I'm not a-?"

"I'm pretty sure you aren't, that was your patronus." Tonks said.

"Your funeral." Sirius said, turning and gesturing to someone. He sat in the front passenger seat as Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed into the back.

"What have you lot been doing?" She asked, when she noticed Harry's cheek was bruised.

"We had a run in." Sirius said. "Go up to Arlington."

"You're going to tell me which way to go?" Tonks asked, and Sirius nodded. She rolled her eyes, but listened.

"Turn left."

"Left?" Tonks asked. "No, that'll be going in the opposite direction-"

"Exactly." Sirius said. "We're being followed, Tonks, just do it."

She sighed. "So what happened to you lot?"

"Turn in there." Sirius said, pointing to an alley.

"Sirius, I am not-"

"Just do it!"

She did as he told her, and as soon as she stopped the car on the other side of the small alley- a small space with dumpsters and a few other cars, he got out, pointing his wand at the mouth of the alley way. He Stunned two cloaked figures on brooms, getting back in the car.

"You have enough room to turn around, right? I figure with you driving, they've got no chance to catch up." Sirius said as she stared at him.

"I'm not going to run them over, Sirius." She said, and he rolled his eyes, rolling down the window to levitate the two unconscious forms out of the way.

"Better?" He asked, as she turned the car around in the small space, driving carefully passed the two forms.

"Can I go the normal way now?" She asked, and he nodded. "Also, can you tell me _now_ what you lot have been doing?"

"What's been happening with the Order?" Sirius asked. "We haven't heard anything."

"Well, you've been gone a week. So, naturally, the Order's managed to kill Vold-"

"Don't say his name!" Sirius snapped, startling her.

"What, why?"

"There's a taboo, they track anyone who says it." Sirius said. "If you say it, we'll have half a dozen of them following us back to Grimmauld."

"But we've said it so many times in Grimmauld-" Tonks began.

"They still can't get _into_ the house, no matter how many times we say it."

"We'll have to let the others know." Tonks said.

"Have you heard from any of the others?" Hermione asked. "Has there been a meeting?"

Tonks shook her head. "No meeting yet, but we've gotten and sent a few patronuses. Ginny got in some kind of trouble at school- I don't know what she did, don't ask me, Ron- and King's apparently gone from the Ministry now, he's running."

"Anything from your Dad?" Sirius asked, and she shook her head.

"Not yet, but we'd know if he was dead, so there's always hope." She said. "But _please_ , will you lot tell me what you've been doing?"

"We tried to find the sword, went to Godric's Hollow." Sirius said.

"And?"

"No sword." Harry said. "But we visited my parents."

"And met Bathilda Bagshot, who was actually a snake." Ron said, and Tonks frowned.

"Now, do you mean an _actual_ snake, or...?"

"She was an actual snake." Sirius said. "An actual, living snake dressed as an old woman."

Her frown deepened, and Sirius laughed quietly.

"I'm too tired to question it, I think we should just pretend it didn't happen."


	10. Chapter 10

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ **I am having such issues with the hunt, Oh my god**_

 _ **So I'm cheating, don't hate me pls**_

* * *

She woke up the next morning to Remus climbing into bed. "Oh, God, I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I meant to be up to come and get you-"

"Sirius said he turned off your alarm." Remus said. "Did you really go out at two in the morning?"

"Technically."

"Technically?" Remus asked, as they shifted closer to each other, and she leaned against his shoulder. "I think that would be a yes or a no-"

"Yes, I left the house, but I didn't really _go out_ , I just went to pick them up." Tonks said, and he frowned slightly. "There is a difference, Remus, I wasn't _actually_ outside very long. They were being followed, and didn't want to Apparate closer. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but nothing too bad." Remus said. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Fine."

" _Just_ fine?" Remus asked.

"Remus, you transformed last night, worry about yourself." She said, tracing a finger over a bruise on his bare chest. He caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her finger.

"A few bruises is nothing compared to other months." Remus said. "I've transformed for over thirty years anyway, and it's not a daily occurrence. You're going to be pregnant-"

"For a while."

Remus smiled. "Yes, for a while." Remus said. "Are you sure you're alright? Hungry? Sore? Upset? Need to talk abo-?"

"You're prying, aren't you?" She asked, sitting up. "Although, this could just be how you'll be as a father..."

Remus smiled when she had said 'father', and then sighed, looking a little more serious as he spoke. "I don't mean to, Dora, I'm just-"

"You're still struggling with what happened, aren't you?"

"I'm trying to pretend it doesn't bother me, Dora, but..."

"But it does." Tonks said. He didn't say anything. "You can admit it, Remus, it's alright."

"It does bother me, Dora, but not because it was you- I mean, of course that part bothers me the most, it's just- it bothers me that someone thinks they have the right to do that to someone. Whether or not they're asking for information, whether or not they're torturing someone. To- to do that, it's just horrific, Dora, and I am so sorry that I couldn't protect you."

"Don't." She said quietly. "I knew there was a risk that I'd get captured and tortured if they found me out. If we were together, they would have killed you or me just to hurt the other. Although, I do sometimes wonder, if I hadn't gone that night, I wonder if I'd still be..." She gestured to the slight bump.

"Can I admit something else, Dora? Without upsetting you?" Remus asked, sitting up slightly.

She nodded, her heart skipping a beat.

"When you first told me, I didn't connect the two- your pregnancy and the time you were gone- I immediately thought _I_ had done something wrong, that it was my fault. I thought that I had cursed you, infected the child- and then you mentioned it."

She frowned slightly. "And?"

"I'm still concerned that it could be a werewolf if it _is_ mine, so I-"

"So you were relieved at the idea it may not be your baby."

"Yes. For a very short moment, part of me was relieved an innocent child may have not been cursed by my own foolishness." Remus said. "And then I realised what it actually meant- that Rodolphus had actually... and I felt terrible for being relieved- even though it was only for a short moment- that there was a chance it wasn't mine."

There was something in his tone, and she studied his scarred face for a moment before speaking. "What else is bothering you?" She asked. He looked down, running his hands over his knees through his pajama pants. "What's wrong? Does it hurt?" Tonks asked.

"My bones are never painless after a moon, Dora." Remus said, looking back at her. "So, what I wanted to say, and I don't want it upsetting you..."

"Say it, Remus."

"I've been thinking a lot..."

"Remus, for the love of Merlin, say it."

"I've thought about it for a while, and... if there was a chance that it was mine, at the risk of it being a werewolf, I would feel horrible- but I would prefer it, because then I'd know for sure that... that it's mine."

She was quiet for a minute. "Well, what if it's yours, and _not_ a werewolf?"

He smiled slightly. "I'm not sure that will happen, love."

"Do you really think Lycanthropy can be inherited?" Tonks asked. "Has it happened before?"

"I've never seen it-"

"Exactly!" Tonks said. "Perhaps it's not possible at all."

She stood, heading for the door, and he stood slowly, taking a couple of steps to follow her. "Dora, where are you going?" He asked.

She turned to him, pushing him lightly towards the bed. "Get some sleep, I'm just going to do some research."

"Dora?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, love?"

"You may want to think about admitting this to the Order." He said.

"Admitting... what Rodolphus did?" She asked, and he shook his head, gesturing her to come closer to him. She took a few steps, and he took her hand.

"I meant the fact you're pregnant." Remus said, placing a hand on her abdomen. "Anyone who knows you- it'll be obvious very soon. After all, certain parts of you have definitely changed... Molly will figure it out immediately, I have a feeling."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, pressing a kiss to his hair. "As long as I can say that it's, without a doubt, yours."

"Dora, this baby is, without a doubt, mine." He said. "No matter who fathered it, remember that."

She leaned down further, kissing him on the lips, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, her legs straddling his lap. This was the first since Rodolphus that she had even felt the need, or the desire, to make love to Remus. He sighed softly into the kiss, and then pushed her away gently. "Dora, I'm sorry, but-"

She felt her stomach drop as she stood. He found her repulsive, Rodolphus had ruined her for him.

He saw the look on her face, and looked horrified. "Oh, Dora, _no!_ No, no, it's not you, I promise." Remus said. "It's- it's just too close to the full moon still, and if we get too far, it'll be too difficult for me to stop if you need us to. I want it- the first time since Rodolphus attacked you, anyway- to be when _you_ can control it completely and when you know it's what you want. I can't trust myself around a full moon, love, I don't want to be too- well, I suppose too rough- _why are you smiling_?"

She found herself smiling as tears filled her eyes, and immediately felt foolish. "I'm sorry, but somehow, I fall more and more in love with you every day." She said.

"I'd be more concerned if you found reasons to fall _out_ of love with me." Remus said. "Remember, love, our marriage isn't reliant on if you feel comfortable enough to make love to your husband, we can enjoy our marriage in thousands of different ways."

"Get some sleep." She said, brushing a hand through his hair.

"There's the control." Remus joked. "See? We're almost there."

She smacked his shoulder lightly, feeling bad when he winced a bit. She walked to the dresser, grabbing one of his jumpers and throwing it at him. "I know you're usually too sore with your ribs and shoulders, but it's cold today, love. Don't get sick." She said.

"Always the concerned one." Remus said, pulling the jumper over his head slowly.

"I'll bring you something to eat later. Get some sleep." She said, heading for the door.

* * *

"What a very useless library you have, Sirius." Tonks said as he stood on a chair to reach the top shelves.

"I'm telling you, we _do_ have werewolf books, I just don't know where." Sirius said. "My parents may have burned the books after they caught me reading them- Oh! Here we go!"

He pulled a couple of older books off of the shelf, letting them fall with loud thuds onto the floor.

"I hope that won't wake your mother." Tonks commented, as he dropped the third book and stepped off of the chair.

"I hope it does, it's been a while since I had a good yelling match with anyone." Sirius commented, leaning down to pick the books up.

"What happened to the rule about antagonizing her?" Tonks asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Rules change. Hell, you can go antagonize her if you'd like. Admit the half-werewolf baby thing, she'll _love_ that."

"Oh, I'm sure she would." Tonks said, taking the books from Sirius.

"Want help reading those?"

"You? Read?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's for a good reason, so yes." Sirius said.

She shook her head. "No, I'll handle this, you've probably got more exciting things lined up- at least you're allowed to leave the house this time. Now I do actually feel bad for you-"

"Good, no one ever did." Sirius commented. "But I know, it can't be good for you to be hiding in a dingy old house most of the time-"

"At least this place has stairs, going up and down so many stairs a day, that counts as exercise, right?"

Sirius shrugged, as the library door opened and Andromeda entered.

"Morning, Mum!" Tonks greeted.

"I had a visit this morning." Andromeda said.

"A _bad_ visit?" Sirius asked immediately.

Andromeda shrugged slightly. "It wasn't bad, it was- well, it was a couple of Ministry workers."

"What did they want?" Tonks asked, dropping the books onto a chair.

"The Auror department doesn't take too kindly to their Aurors disappearing from duty." Andromeda said. "They want to arrest you."

"Arrest me?" Tonks asked, laughing. "They can't arrest someone for missing work!"

"Well, they've been arresting for far less." Sirius said. "This just means you have to be careful."

"Aren't I always?" She asked.

"No." Andromeda said.

"Not always." Sirius said, and Tonks sighed.

"Alright, leave me alone so I can prove Remus wrong." Tonks said, walking over to the chair and picking up the books.

"What are you trying to prove?" Andromeda asked.

"That Lycanthropy can't be genetic."

Andromeda seemed to think for a moment. "You and Remus can't possibly..."

"Well, I don't believe it is." Tonks said. "But I'd like to know if it is, maybe that'd give us an idea if I should pay attention to how I feel on full moons-"

"Nonsense! I'm going to go talk to my son-in-law." Andromeda said, turning to leave the library.

"Mum, be nice!"

"Aren't I always?" Andromeda called over her shoulder.

"Sirius, can you go make sure she doesn't harass Remus?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, I'll let her talk with Remus, it's what she does. I'm not getting involved." He said. "Anyway, I'm going to go see if the kids have figured out anything new."

And then she was alone. She carried the books over to the sofa, settling down to read.

* * *

"Remus, how are you feeling today?" Andromeda asked, walking into the room slowly. Remus rolled over to face her, sitting up slowly.

"Good morning, Andromeda-"

"Technically, it's the afternoon, Remus."

He smiled lightly. "I'm doing alright now, how are you?" He asked.

She sat on the end of the bed. "Remus, I understand you might be concerned that the baby is a werewolf." Andromeda said, choosing to avoid the topic of the child's possible paternity for now. Remus nodded. "I would like to tell you something, Remus."

He looked unsure, but then nodded.

"Dora is struggling." Andromeda said. "You've probably noticed, she's not talking much about what happened, not to me, anyway- and that's fine, she can do that. The only thing she's mentioned much is that she's not sure who the father of the baby is- I can understand her doing that too, it's not a good situation to be in. I can understand you want to help her, perhaps simply act like it _is_ yours. However..."

"However?" Remus asked.

"She's now downstairs reading about werewolves." Andromeda said. "And the books that are in this house, they won't be pro-werewolf and they might not be entirely accurate. I know at least one of them might claim women die when birthing werewolf cubs- both parts are completely false. A _human_ woman can not birth werewolf _cubs_. Lycanthropy is not genetic, it's _always_ a bite. As a werewolf, I would have thought you would know that. And women _do_ die in childbirth, but only from very severe complications- and it's not a common occurrence anymore, so I would expect Dora to suffer any severe complications."

"Andromeda, I'm not trying to-"

"Another thing she may read in those books is that the baby might transform _inside_ of her. Does that sound pleasant, Remus? Like something she should be worrying about?"

"No-"

"Here's what you're going to do, Remus." Andromeda said. "You love my daughter, yes?"

"Very much, yes."

"You're going to go downstairs, take those books from her, and never mention this genetic Lycanthropy _shite_ ever again." Andromeda said, standing. "And you're going take care of anything she needs for the next five months. I don't care if it's two in the morning, if she needs something-"

"Of course." Remus said.

"-you better get it for her. She won't have an easy time in the days right before she gives birth, she won't be comfortable. Or she may have loads of energy, I certainly did... And once she gets bigger- and she will get _big_ , it's unfortunate but true- she might be a bit clumsier. It'll be better to keep her away from the stairs at night or whenever she's alone. She's clumsy enough when she was see her feet, but when she can't..." Andromeda said. "Either way, Remus, you're going to pretend- convincingly- that this is _your_ baby, and that there's no chance otherwise. Rodolphus no longer exists. She needs to stress less. Rodolphus doesn't exist, genetic Lycanthropy doesn't exist. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Now, go take those books from her."

* * *

"We don't know where to look for the sword, we don't know where Hufflepuff's cup is, we don't have access to the snake..." Harry said slowly. "We've got one, the locket, and can't destroy it. And that leaves one that we don't even know about. It could be anything."

"Well, you were saying something about Ravenclaw." Andromeda said, as she set some dishes on the table. "Could it be the diadem?"

"The what?" Harry asked, and Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Andromeda, you mean... the _lost_ Diadem?"

"Well, yes..." Andromeda said slowly. "But perhaps that's why it's lost?"

"It's been missing a very long time." Hermione said. "I would think longer than-"

"What's a diadem, though?" Harry asked.

"A tiara, sort of." Hermione said. "It was said to enhance the wisdom of those who wear it. But it went missing centuries ago, how would You-Know-Who get it?"

Andromeda shrugged. "How did You-Know-Who get the locket or the cup?"

"Well, we actually _know_ how he got both." Harry said, as a flash of silver appeared in the kitchen. The weasel formed, speaking clearly in Arthur's voice.

 _"Order meeting, one hour. Old headquarters."_

As the weasel disappeared, Andromeda smiled at Hermione. "Dear, my daughter can't be trusted in a kitchen. Would you help me multiple the dinner I made?" She asked, and Hermione nodded, shutting the book in front of her and standing. "Harry, dear, if you could set the table."

"Of course, Mrs Tonks." Harry said.

"Oh, God, not even Ted's mother is called that. I've told you, it's Andromeda only."

* * *

The Order had stayed for hours. It was the first meeting in months, and they had found they had more things to talk about than originally thought. Arthur had called the meeting because of the taboo, and they had all been surprised to find out the trio was living in Grimmauld Place with the others.

Tonks managed to keep her pregnancy a continued secret for most of the night, thanks to one of Remus' jumpers and the fact the Order was too occupied notice anything different about the Metamorphmagus.

As Remus had predicted, it was Molly who figured it out first. The second Tonks had refused the glass of Firewhiskey Bill offered her, she just _knew_ that Molly figured it out.

And unfortunately, Molly was a very open person, and didn't think to pull Tonks aside while the Order was talking- she simply asked while they were all still sitting together.

Luckily, Tonks was next to Arthur, who was next to Molly, so at first only a few people seemed to hear- mostly Sirius and Remus on her other side and her mother and the trio across the table.

Molly leaned across Arthur, looking intently at Tonks. "Tonks, dear, I hope I won't offend you, but how far along?"

Tonks turned to look at Molly, first thinking she should just lie. After all, she had been inactive for months, not doing much, could it explain the weight gain? But when she looked at Molly, she could tell Molly knew- that was probably why Molly didn't even ask if she was, she just asked how far along.

"Barely four months." Tonks said, and Molly grinned. Somehow, in the next thirty seconds, Molly had managed to convince them to admit it to _everyone_ , and then within three minutes, the conversation had turned from war to the fact there was a baby on the way for two of their members.


	11. Chapter 11

_************putting this here: I did try to write a smut scene(try being the key word, tbh), and if you don't like smut, you can skip to the later part of the chapter(the smutty-ish-romance-whatever is like early on?), or you can read just to laugh at the fact it took me forever to manage what little I managed to write and it's not as good as other smuts(seriously guys, if you have a chance, look up Dreaming Of You by someone... it's a Remadora, OoTP based smut anyway, can't remember who wrote it. A++++ though)**_

 _ **Also, IT'S CHRISTMAS  
not really, but later this chapter.**_

* * *

 _ **So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ **I am having such issues with the hunt, Oh my god**_

 _ **So I'm cheating, don't hate me pls**_

 _ **I'm ignoring the creation of Potterwatch and some of the broadcasts.**_

* * *

Barely a week after the meeting, Remus and Tonks woke up to a note on the kitchen table saying that Sirius and the trio had gone to continue their search, promising to make an appearance for Christmas. Christmas was just under a month away, and for some reason, that seemed to feel like a very long time- perhaps because Remus and Tonks were now alone, with nothing to do.

Since the announcement that Tonks was pregnant, Kingsley and Arthur had both said that Remus _and_ Tonks should step away from Order duties. This meant Remus was extremely bored at times, tired of the inactivity. Some days, when Tonks morphed and went to buy things around Muggle London, they transfigured his looks so that he could join her.

"You wanted to help more, didn't you?" Tonks asked, as they were getting ready for bed just over a week after the others had left. Andromeda had been staying at her own home for the last few days, just to ensure the Ministry didn't become suspicious, so the two were- once again- completely alone.

"Yes, but I do like to think I'm helping here." Remus said, looking at her after he had pulled a tshirt over his head. "I know not being able to do anything is bothering you as well, but I suppose we at least have each other..."

She laughed, dropping her hairbrush onto the dresser. "We're bored, but definitely not lonely."

"No, lonely doesn't describe us." Remus said, running a hand through his hair. She loved the fact his hair was the longest she had ever seen it, even though it wasn't yet touching his shoulders and definitely nowhere near as long as Sirius', but somehow- she just loved this version of Remus.

"You know..." She began, and he looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "It's two weeks until full moon."

"It is, yes."

She took a few stepped towards him, reaching for his hand. "And that means you're the _furthest_ away from a transformation than you'll be all month."

"Also true."

She stepped even closer, moving her hands up his arms, cupping his face.

"Dora, we don't have to." Remus said quietly, but he was silenced as she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss. She wasn't sure if it was the hormones or the fact it had been so long or the fact it was _Remus_ , but _God_ , it was so easy to be overwhelmed by the feelings and desire.

Remus was apparently taken off guard by her quick mood change, but he also didn't seem to mind entirely, he just seemed more concerned about if she _actually_ wanted to. She took his hand gently, leading him towards the bed slowly.

"Dora, you really don't-"

She placed a finger against his lips. "I need this, Remus." She said quietly. "We're married, we should be able to make love."

"You don't have to-"

She pulled him closer to her, pressing her lips against his. He returned the kiss, but seemed a little unsure on whether or not she'd be okay with his hands on her, and she took his hand, placing it on her hip. She unbuttoned his shirt, and he pulled it off, letting it fall to the floor. She removed hers as well, her hands shaking slightly.

"We don't have to-"

"It's alright, Remus." She said quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pushed him backwards, forcing him to sit. She straddled his lap, kissing his jaw gently. "Let me have control." She whispered, and felt him nod. Their lips met again, his hands traveling up her back, fingers fumbling over the clasp of her bra. She laughed against his mouth as he groaned in frustration. She reached behind her, unclasping it, pulling her bra off.

"Who knew such a simple concept for one would seem so complicated for another?" She asked, as his hand moved to cup her breast. She let out a sigh as he kissed her neck, her hips grinding against his lap. His other hand moved down her bump, into the waistband of her pajamas and she moaned against his neck as his fingers brushed against her gently for a few seconds, before entering her. God, he really knew. Despite it being months since they had last made love, he still knew exactly what to do for her. By this point, she already knew neither needed much foreplay- it had been so long, it probably wouldn't last very long in the end.

She could feel his own arousal against her thigh and felt her heart freeze for a moment. No, this was _Remus._ Remus wouldn't hurt her.

"We can stop." He whispered in her ear, and she shut her eyes tightly. This was Remus. She wanted this, she needed this. She shook her head, and he resumed moving his fingers gently, earning another moan from her.

She ran her hands over the scars on his chest, pressing a kiss to one on his shoulder. Her hands moved lower, pulling at the drawstring on his pajama pants. He seemed to understand, pulling his hand away from her so they could stand and finish undressing. He sat down again, and she moved to straddle his lap again, her knees on either side of his hips as she lowered herself onto him.

She was right, and it did become a little rushed and didn't last long at all, but that hardly mattered.

For the first night in months, she fell asleep naked, curled up against his side. For the first night in months, she had no nightmares or thoughts about what had happened in July.

* * *

December was strangely quiet until Christmas.

Sirius, Hermione and Harry returned without Ron, saying there had been a fight, and said nothing more. By Christmas Day, Tonks was nearing her fifth month and showing considerably, and had felt the baby's first movements just days before. Remus and Andromeda hadn't noticed anything when she insisted they might be able to feel it too, not until the day before Christmas when Remus was half asleep with his arm around her and he said he had felt a very _light_ movement- and then Andromeda had said she could feel it too, shortly after breakfast, when Tonks told her it was definitely there.

It was nearly noon before her mother showed up again, after spending four nights at home- saying the Ministry would definitely be expecting Ted or Tonks to show up for Christmas, and they had been right to think so.

Andromeda wasn't alone when she entered the house, and it took everyone a minute to realise she wasn't talking to _herself_ as she walked down the kitchen stairs. There was a moment of silence when Andromeda and Ted entered, and then Tonks moved first, rushing into her father's arms.

"You came home!" She cried, hugging her father tightly.

"Just for the day." Ted said quietly, returning the hug. As she stepped back, Ted frowned slightly. "Dora, are you...?"

"You left the day before we came to tell you." Tonks said. "You're going to be a grandfather, by April at the latest-"

She was cut off when Ted hugged her again. "Dora, that's great! I'll be back by March, just in case, I need to meet my grandchild-"

"Why can't you hide here with us?" Tonks asked as her father released her again.

"If I'm moving around, it's safer." Ted said. "They may be able to find me and if I'm with you or your mother... I can't lead them to you."

"But if you're _here_ , with us." Tonks said. "They can't get into the house-"

"Actually, I've been thinking we have to leave too." Sirius said, and Tonks looked at him. "Kreacher can tell Narcissa and Bellatrix things, remember? Harry may have earned his trust, but I still think he could tell them we're all here. And if that gets to Snape, he can disclose the location."

"I've told you, I don't think Snape would do that-"

"Why are you so sure, Dora?" Sirius asked, leaning forward. "You've been _so_ insistent that Snivellus wouldn't do this kind of thing since you returned to us in July."

"I don't know, I just don't think he will-"

"If you weren't actually pregnant, I'd wonder if someone's been taking Polyjuice potion to be you since July."

"They wouldn't be able to morph, Sirius." Tonks said.

Andromeda was watching Sirius with a frown, and then she spoke. "And not only that, they'd need a fresh supply of hair from her, and if she's not Nymphadora, she'd had to leave constantly to get hair- but she rarely leaves."

"Also, faking a pregnancy would get increasingly difficult, remember." Remus said. "And considering two of us have felt the baby's movements..." Andromeda nodded.

"Three, you dolt." Tonks said to Remus. "I count too, don't I?"

"Right, three." Remus corrected himself, and they heard a loud bang from the main hallway upstairs.

"We have a problem!" Harry's voice called, just as Walburga's shrieks started. The five adults in the kitchen rushed upstairs to find Harry trying to subdue Yaxley, Hermione trying to aim a Stunning Spell so that she didn't hit Harry, whose lip was bleeding.

"What the _Hell_?" Sirius demanded, as he, Remus and Ted rushed forward to grab Yaxley. They were seconds too late. Yaxley shoved Harry, going for Hermione and managing to snatch her wand, disappearing with a loud crack straight from the hallway of Grimmauld Place- they were no longer safe.

" _Half bloods and Mudbloods! Blood traitors, werewolves! In my house!"_

"Oh shut up!" Andromeda snapped, Stunning the portrait, and there seemed to a deafening silence until Sirius spoke.

"How did he follow you?" Sirius asked Harry and Hermione.

"We were by the shops, we got the ingredients we needed- and I don't know, our disguises just-" Hermione began.

"Vanished." Harry said. "And then Yaxley was there, he grabbed us when we tried to Disapparate."

"We need to find him, or leave-" Tonks began.

"We don't have to-"

"Nothing good ever comes from the Order capturing Yaxley! He's probably gone to some of his Death Eaters buddies to bring them here!" Tonks snapped, and Remus sighed quietly. If they hadn't captured Yaxley the first time, Tonks wouldn't have been at Malfoy Manor that night...

"So what do we do?" Sirius asked, and Hermione rushed passed them, heading downstairs into the kitchen.

"We're leaving." Harry said, following Hermione.

The adults followed, to find Hermione casting charms over Harry's rucksack, shoving potions into it. "Where are you going to go?" Sirius demanded.

"We'll go North, you lot can go somewhere else- it'll be far worse if you're found with us." Harry said, taking his bag from Hermione and handing it to Sirius. "All of the potions should be there, right, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded, as Remus and Andromeda disappeared upstairs again.

"Where are we going to go?" Tonks asked Sirius. "We can't-"

"We'll stay on the move." Sirius said.

"I was _just_ going to say we can't do that." Tonks said, crossing her arms. "I can't travel constantly, especially in a few months, we can't move a newborn baby every few days."

"We'll just move around for a couple of weeks, and then we'll find somewhere permanent." Sirius said. "Or, you lot will, I'm going with Harry."

"No." Harry said. "It'll just be me and Hermione, you stay with the others."

"We could all just stay together..." Tonks began. "Find another safe house-"

There was a loud bang upstairs, and Remus and Andromeda appeared on the stairs, bags in their hands. Andromeda handed one to Sirius, and shrunk the other one as Remus shrunk the bags in his hands.

"We need to go." Remus said, grabbing Tonks' hand.

"What was that sound?" Ted demanded, as there was another loud bang.

"They're here." Andromeda said. "Everyone go for the Forest of Dean, two miles North of the river. We may all arrive in different spots, but we'll find each other and discuss what to do next-"

There was a loud crack as black cloaked figures appeared in the kitchen. Remus grabbed Tonks' hand and they disappeared- the Death Eaters hadn't thought to place Anti-Apparition charms, apparently.

When they reappeared, it was _cold._ There was a loud crack nearby, and Remus and Tonks tensed up, ready for a duel, until Harry and Hermione stumbled through the trees towards them.

"They sent us ahead, Ted was just telling Andromeda to go as well, there was a duel-" Harry said, and Tonks felt panic grip her.

"We should go back-" Tonks began, but Remus shook his head, pulling his jumper off, leaving him in his button up shirt only. He placed the jumper around her shoulders, rubbing her upper arms.

"When we were upstairs, Andromeda told me the only thing that mattered- if there was a duel- was getting you and the baby and Harry out." Remus said. "We'll set up camp near here, set up enchantments, get a fire going for warmth, the others can find us."

"But my parents, and Sirius-"

"Sirius is one Hell of a dueler." Remus said, walking away, towards the trees. "And your mother happens to be Bellatrix Lestrange's sister, I doubt the Death Eaters will find her an easy opponent. Hermione, do you still have that tent?"


	12. Chapter 12

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ **I am having such issues with the hunt, Oh my god**_

 _ **So I'm cheating, don't hate me pls**_

 _ **I'm ignoring the creation of Potterwatch and some of the broadcasts.**_

* * *

Every time Harry or Tonks tried to help, they were firmly told to sit aside and rest. Remus, not knowing much about camping, put himself in charge of the protective enchantments while Hermione set up the tent and went inside to conjure a couple of extra beds.

Tonks, however, had spent time with her parents camping(just as Hermione had once done), but Remus kept saying he didn't want her to "over exert" herself right now. Hermione had an actual reason to push Harry aside- he had never been camping, and he admitted he wasn't too skilled at conjuring things.

After half an hour, Harry and Tonks were at least allowed to gather some firewood, as long as they kept their wands in their hands and were careful while they were outside of the boundaries that Remus had placed. And Remus requested that Tonks be careful to not fall- her only response to him had been an eye roll as she and Harry walked away.

"They're very similar, don't you think?" Harry asked as they walked, and Tonks nodded.

"It's why they get along so well." Tonks said. "I've wanted to ask for a while, Harry, but is there something going on between you two?"

"Between...?" He began, and then laughed when he realised. "Me and Hermione? No! I mean, I _like_ her, but she's- she's like a sister, that's all. Why?"

She shrugged. "Just being nosy, I don't get to hear much about other people, as you know, so..."

"No, I'm still interested in Ginny, and I think Hermione has someone else in mind as well."

"But you broke up with Ginny, didn't you?" Tonks asked. "And do you know who Hermione is interested in?"

"Yes, I did. And no, I don't."

"Damn, I'll have to ask her, then."

"Why are you so interested in learning about this stuff with us, anyway?" Harry asked, looking at her.

"Harry, I am bored as _Hell_ , because I can't help with the Order. So, naturally, I need to find other ways to occupy my time, and being nosy has always come natural to me." Tonks said. "Besides, Harry, being nosy can be helpful. Maybe you should try it."

Harry shrugged. "I figure if anyone has anything important to say, they'll tell me-"

''Precisely your problem, no? You wait for people to tell you what they think is important, but maybe what they think is unimportant is actually _extremely_ important and useful to you." Tonks said, and then she heard a twig snap. They both turned, holding their wands up. Tonks dropped the wood she had been holding, waiting for any sign of an oncoming attack.

"It's fine, it's us!" Sirius' voice called, and a second later, he appeared through the trees with Andromeda.

"Mum, thank God!" Tonks said, taking a step forward but Harry put his arm out in front of her.

"When Fred and George Weasley were living at Grimmauld Place, what did they almost do to your hand?" Harry asked Sirius, and Tonks mentally slapped herself. _Security questions, of course!_

"They were using magic to set the table, and one of the knives nearly landed on my hand." Sirius said calmly.

"Mum, what was the advice you gave me on my seventeenth birthday?" Tonks asked.

"I told you not to focus on a career right away, that you should use a few years after Hogwarts to do whatever you wanted... And naturally, you didn't listen." Andromeda said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Where's Dad?" Tonks asked, and Sirius and Andromeda exchanged looks. "Where is he?" Tonks asked again.

"Where are Remus and Hermione?" Sirius asked, stepping forward to pick up the small pile of wood Tonks had dropped.

"Uh, this way." Harry said, pocketing his wand and adjusting his grip on the wood he was carrying. The two men turned from the women, walking away.

"Mum...?" Tonks asked, but Andromeda walked forward, linking her arm with Tonks' and following Harry and Sirius. She didn't say anything else until they were back with the others, and they all went inside the tent, sitting in the few chairs inside.

"Mum, where's Dad? Did he leave separately?" Tonks asked, hoping no one else would accidentally change the subject again.

"Dora, your father, he- he took a curse for me. He didn't make it." Andromeda said, her voice cracking as tears hit her cheeks. She wiped her face furiously. "I- I have to go home-"

"Mum, no, you don't." Tonks said quickly. "It can't be safe for you-"

"They took his body, so they know he's dead." Andromeda said, apparently not listening to Tonks. "I can tell them you're dead, Dora, because at least three Death Eaters- and Yaxley- could see that you're pregnant. If they think you're dead, they won't try to find you."

Andromeda stood, and Tonks followed, walking to stand in front of her mother. "Mum, just stay with us." Tonks said. "We'll make it work, we'll all stay safe-"

Andromeda hugged her daughter, shaking her head. "Send a patronus when you need me, leave me hints about where you are so I can find you." Andromeda said. "I'll go home, the Ministry will only find a grieving widow and a grieving mother now."

"Mum-"

Andromeda leaned back, brushing a hand over Tonks' hair. "Find somewhere safe to go, don't come home."

Andromeda released Tonks, stepping around her and leaving. Tonks turned to follow, but then felt Remus' hand on her wrist. "Dora, she's right." He said quietly. "They won't come after her if they all think you've died too."

"But she- with Dad gone, I don't want to leave her alone." She said, and then it really hit her, a wave of emotion. Her father was dead, her mother was pretending her _entire_ family was dead. She shook Remus' hand off, leaving the tent.

"Dora!" He called, following her. "Dora, come back!"

When he caught up to her, she realised she was crying.

"What did he ever do?" Tonks demanded. "What did any of the Muggleborns ever do?"

Remus didn't say anything, she honestly didn't expect him to. She was angry and hurt. Her father was dead.

Edward Tonks, whose only crime was being born into a family of Muggles, was dead. She fell to her knees in the snow, sobs shaking her body. She heard the crunch of the snow as Remus knelt in front of her, his arms pulling her against his chest a moment later, holding her as she cried.

* * *

Remus and Tonks didn't return for nearly an hour, and Sirius was close to thinking they had been attacked or abandoned them. When they returned, Tonks sank into an armchair, her eyes red and slightly puffy.

"I sent a message to the others before we Apparated out." Sirius said, hoping to break the silence. "No one will go near Grimmauld now. I didn't realise Yaxley would be able to move so quickly, but it does make me wonder why Snape didn't do that for the Death Eaters sooner..."

"Because I told you-" Tonks began.

"I know, you've been extremely insistent that he wouldn't do anything." Sirius said. "But why, Dora? Why do you trust him? It's incredibly suspicious-"

"Don't you dare!" Tonks snapped.

Sirius was quiet for a second, as if he was thinking intently.

"Was your memory modified?" Sirius asked.

"My what?" Tonks asked.

"Remus, did you-?" Sirius asked.

"No, I told you, I didn't want to." Remus said.

"Dora, how did you escape? In July?" Sirius asked.

"I overpowered Wormtail after he forgot to replace the enchantments, took his wand and Disapparated." Tonks said, and Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"And how did you overpower Wormtail?" Sirius asked.

"I- uh, I don't remember." Tonks said.

"Exactly." Sirius said with a nod. "You don't remember, it just _happened_. Just as it just _happened_ that your wounds were already partially healed. And you know, I tested Wormy's wand. The last spell cast was a Shield Charm, not Apparition _or_ a Healing Spell. And the patronus wasn't yours... So, who was working with you? Are you not telling us something?"

"I've told you and Remus _everything!"_ Tonks said. "You two are the only two who know _every_ detail."

"There has to be a way to break through Memory Charms-" Sirius began, but Hermione spokeup.

"You can, but it's extremely difficult and if done incorrectly, it can be extremely damaging." Hermione said. "If you tried it, you could just remove _all_ of her memories or leave her... well, like Lockhart."

"So, we'd be better off not attempting it." Sirius said.

"Besides, even if someone did help me, does it matter?" Tonks asked. "If they hadn't, I'd probably be dead."

"I just want to know-" Sirius began.

"But I don't." Tonks said firmly. "I just don't care anymore, Sirius."

* * *

Christmas had started nicely, with the residents of Grimmauld Place believing it would end the same way.

Unfortunately, it hadn't, and now they were living in a tent in the Forest of Dean, where Hermione had done a decent amount of work inside the tent.

On the outside, it looked like a plain Muggle tent, too small for more than two people to sleep in. However, on the inside it had a small main room that had one sofa, four arm chairs, a kitchen and a dining room table with chairs. There was one actual wooden door in the tent, and it led to a bathroom that had _both_ a bathtub and a shower. There were two sets of bunk beds near the back of the tent, a few feet away from each other, and she transfigured one of the bottom bunks to be wider so that Remus and Tonks could share a bed, and so that there was somewhere for everyone to sleep.

The next day, Hermione had taken some Muggle money from Sirius to go(disguised) to the Muggle town a few miles away to get them supplies and food. While she hadn't helped Tonks with the actual shopping at Grimmauld Place, she often helped put away the things she bought and was pretty sure she could remember what most of them would want to eat. She just hoped that Tonks' vanilla ice cream craving hadn't turned into an aversion in the last few days, because she had seen Tonks dealing with a few food aversions that had been cravings a few days beforehand and she hadn't wanted to ask Tonks before she left because Tonks spent the day in bed, mourning her father, and that wasn't something Hermione could bring herself to interrupt.

She returned after a couple of hours to find Remus and Sirius working on extra Heating Charms to cover the entire tent, taking the time to show Harry how to perform strong ones, and she paused, watching Sirius laugh about something Harry had said.

For a moment, she could pretend they were all friends on a simple winter camping trip, and that there was no war, that Sirius had raised Harry all along. Hermione sighed, walking into the tent. Perhaps once the war ended, Sirius and Harry would have time to be a family.


	13. Chapter 13

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ **I am having such issues with the hunt, Oh my god**_

 _ **So I'm cheating, don't hate me pls**_

 _ **I'm ignoring the creation of Potterwatch and some of the broadcasts.**_

* * *

"I'm not the only one, right?" Hermione asked on the third night. "I keep hearing things and I thought I saw someone-"

"No, I've been noticing that too." Remus said. "I thought I was simply paranoid."

"Snatchers, most likely." Sirius said. "We just have to hope our charms keep them out."

"I'll keep watch, you lot go inside." Harry said after a few minutes.

"I'll stay with you, we should watch in pairs, anyway." Sirius said. Harry didn't argue, just gave a quick nod.

Hermione and Remus walked back into the tent where Tonks was sitting on the couch, reading one of the Horcrux books.

"Light reading?" Remus asked, sinking onto the couch by her feet.

"Only in your mind would this be considered 'light' reading." Tonks commented as Hermione sat in an armchair. "I wonder if it'd work to use Fiendfyre, if any of us could control it just enough to destroy the locket?"

"That's risky, though." Hermione said. "Whoever casts it, it's so easy to lose control, from what I've read.''

Tonks nodded. "It is. I'm just saying, maybe we can somehow make it work." She said. "Remus, can you send Mum another patronus? I'm worried for her, and can't cast one myself..."

Remus nodded, standing and walking out of the tent.

"And he still won't let me see what form his takes." Tonks commented.

"You mean, you've never seen it?" Hermione asked.

"Well, when he sends a patronus to me, it has no shape, but I don't believe for a second he's never cast a full one. He taught Harry, so I'm sure Remus' has a shape, he just won't show me."

* * *

"Remus!" Sirius' voice yelled as he walked into the tent. They had all gone to bed barely three hours before, Remus and Hermione planning to get up after six hours of sleep to take over the watch.

Remus and Tonks sat up as Sirius waved his wand to light the tent. Hermione sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Harry's gone."

They were out of their beds immediately, grabbing warm clothes. They threw their clothes over their pajamas, following Sirius outside.

"What do you mean, he's gone?" Remus asked, his wand in his hand.

"I went to check the enchantments on the other side of the tent- I thought I saw someone- and when I came back, he was gone." Sirius explained. "Do you think he'd go off on his own-?"

"He has the Horcrux." Hermione said quietly.

"Maybe he decided he wanted to do this alone?" Tonks asked.

"Was he still sitting by that tree when you left?" Remus asked, walking towards where the two had been sitting when Remus and Hermione left.

"Yes." Sirius said. "But there aren't any footsteps- I thought I heard Harry say something, but-"

"We'll split up and look." Remus said. "We need to find Harry. Dora, go back inside-"

"No, I'm helping." Tonks said firmly.

"Dora, it's too cold." Remus said, and Tonks narrowed her eyes.

"Harry!" Sirius yelled, distracting both. They turned to see Harry walking back towards them, dripping wet, carrying a rucksack.

"I'm- it's fine." Harry said, indicating behind him as he entered the boundaries, and the group noticed he wasn't alone. Ron was walking behind Harry, also dripping wet, holding the Gryffindor sword in a clenched fist.

There was a moment of tense silence as Harry dropped the bag, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the locket, which was smoking very slightly.

"One down." Harry said, and Ron smiled weakly, which seemed to anger Hermione, who launched herself forward. She punched Ron's chest, punching him everywhere she could reach before Remus and Sirius pulled her away.

"Hermione, what the Bloody Hell?" Ron demanded.

"Weeks, Ronald! You come back after _weeks and weeks-_ where's my wand?" She demanded, spitting hair out of her face. "Harry, give me my wand!"

She shoved off Remus' and Sirius' weak holds, stepping towards Hermione, but Tonks had already raised her wand. " _Protego!_ "

The shield knocked Hermione back, causing her to land in the snow on her backside. She jumped up, glaring at Tonks.

"I'm sorry-" Tonks began.

"Hermione, calm-" Harry began.

"I will not calm down!" Hermione snapped at Harry. "Give me my wand! Give it back to me!"

"Hermione, will you please-" Sirius tried, but Hermione spun on him, glaring.

"Don't tell me what to do, Sirius! And you!" Hermione snapped, pointing at Ron. "I came after you, I called for you! I begged you to come back!"

"I know," Ron said. "Hermione, I'm sorry, I'm really—"

"Oh, you're _sorry_!"

"Hermione, I really am-"

"You come back after weeks- _weeks!_ \- and you think everything will be alright just because you said you were sorry?"

"Well, what else can I say?" Ron demanded.

"Oh, I don't know, Ron! Rack your brains, it should only take a few seconds!"

"Hermione, I tried to come back, but there were Snatchers-" Ron began.

"Hermione, he saved my life." Harry said, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"He what?" Sirius asked, cutting off Hermione's retort. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"I've been trying to follow you lot since the moment I left, but tonight is the first time I was able to find any sign you were around." Ron said. "Up until now, I just kept finding myself in London- figured you must have gone back to Grimmauld-"

"But you didn't come back." Hermione said coldly.

"I wasn't sure what to say." Ron said quietly. "So I waited a while, and then I found myself here."

"Found yourself?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, with this." Ron said, pulling the deluminator out of his pocket. "I clicked it, and the ball of light just hovered. It was pulsing, kind of bluish- like a portkey. So I followed it, I knew it would take me where I needed to go. And it did, a few times, I just didn't realise it. I've been around here for a few days, I had heard Harry and Tonks talking a few days ago, and heard Sirius and Tonks' Mum arrive, but by the time I caught up to where I heard you all, you were gone. So I waited, figured someone would show up- and Harry did. I saw the doe first, obviously-"

"What doe?" Remus and Sirius demanded.

"The patronus, I wondered if one of you cast it." Ron said.

Sirius and Remus exchanged looks. "A doe patronus led you to us." Remus said.

"No, it led Harry to a pond, that's where I found him, and where he found the sword." Ron explained.

Remus and Sirius looked at Tonks. "A doe patronus led us to you in July." Sirius said. "Whose patronus is it?"

Tonks shrugged.

"You didn't see anyone?" Hermione asked. "Any of you, when _any_ of you saw the doe, you didn't see who cast it?"

All four men shook their heads.

"I thought, at first, maybe it was Dora." Sirius said. "But she has a wolf, and she wasn't even conscious when we found her."

"I thought it was Harry's for a moment, but his is a stag." Ron said. "But I followed it as well, and it led me to Harry, who was in the pond-"

" _In_ the pond?" Tonks asked.

"The sword was on the bottom." Harry said. "I had to get it."

"So, you went swimming?" Sirius asked. "And what about the Horcrux, how is it destroyed?"

"Well, Ron pulled me from the pond, with the sword- and I opened the Horcrux-"

"How did you open it?" Hermione demanded.

"I spoke to it." Harry said quietly. "In parseltongue, and it just opened-"

"What happens when they open?" Tonks asked.

"The soul tried to- it said some things-" Ron stuttered.

"And then he stabbed it with the sword." Harry said quickly.

"And that was it, it just vanished?" Hermione asked.

"Well, it screamed." Harry said. "Here." He handed the locket to Hermione, who examined the punctured windows carefully. "The important thing is that one of them is gone."

"What happened to you, while you were gone?" Remus asked Ron. "You said there were Snatchers."

* * *

Hermione wasted no time in making sure Ron knew she was still mad at him the next morning, and the others noticed. Ron had slept on the couch that night, simply because there wasn't room elsewhere.

However, despite Hermione's coldness towards Ron, the others were in a better mood. One Horcrux was gone and they had the sword, even if they didn't know where the other Horcruxes were, it was still a relief to know their work was paying off.

When Tonks mentioned that she had to disguise herself to go into the Muggle town two days later, because even Remus' shirts were becoming a little tight for her, Hermione immediately asked if she could join her- apparently eager to find an excuse to leave Ron for a while, even though Tonks said it wasn't going to be a very interesting trip.

Tonks transfigured Hermione's looks for her, because they had all agreed it was easier for another person to do it for the person being disguised, and then morphed herself so she wouldn't be recognised.

They walked a couple of miles, Tonks had insisted they walk as far as they could and they made it nearly halfway to the town before she got tired and they Apparated into the alley Hermione had been using.

"I would have been able to do that without any issue before. In fact, I _have_ done hikes similar without issue." Tonks commented as they walked out of the alley. "But, I find I can't do a lot of things I could do before, but at least I'm not as tired as a couple of months ago-"

"It's understandable, though." Hermione said as they walked down the street. "I mean, you're- well, not _big_ , I don't want to say that, but-"

"No, you can say it." Tonks said. "I didn't think I'd be so big so early on, I'm not even six months yet- I don't think, anyway, I suppose I could be, but we're not entirely sure..."

"You actually don't know?" Hermione asked.

Tonks shook her head. "I mean, it's only a week of difference either way, we can _guess_ it could have been the night we got married- but how are we to actually know? That was a week before the Rodolphus thing, so there's a possibility I'm a week further along than we think, or I'm-"

"The Rodolphus thing?" Hermione asked, and she stopped walking. "Tonks, what Rodolphus thing- oh my God."

Tonks had stopped a few steps ahead of Hermione, and Hermione could tell she hadn't meant to say anything when she turned to Hermione and didn't even mention the fact that Hermione hadn't used one of the fake names they had all decided to use when away from the tent.

Hermione realised it made sense. The reason Sirius had killed Rodolphus, what Ron said Rodolphus had said, the fact Tonks had actually apparently considered terminating the pregnancy, how defensive Tonks got when Fleur had accused her of giving up information, even Tonks admitting that Bellatrix hadn't acted alone...

"It's not Remus' baby." Hermione said quietly.

Tonks took a deep breath, walking back towards Hermione. "There is a chance that it is. Hermione, you can't tell anyone." She said, apparently also choosing to ignore the false names. "No one is ever going to know."

"But does Remus-"

"He knows." Tonks said. "And so does Sirius, and my mother. None of them will say a thing."

"Your father-?"

"He didn't even know I was pregnant until he came for Christmas." Tonks said. "Maybe one day I would have told him, or Mum would have, but no, he didn't know before he died."

Hermione didn't know what to say. What does a person say in a situation like this?

"You won't tell anyone?" Tonks asked.

Hermione nodded. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Tonks nodded, and then turned to continue walking. Hermione followed, and Tonks spoke again. "We might need to find a way to get Sirius to Gringotts." She said quietly. "I'm going to use what I have today to get some clothes that might fit for the remainder of my pregnancy- and we may as well stop and grab a few things we're running low on, but the money Mum and Sirius took out a few months ago will only last another few weeks."

"Is it safe to go to Gringotts?" Hermione asked quietly.

"We'll figure something out." Tonks said. "I was thinking of trying to see if I could morph into Sirius and go myself, but that wouldn't be any less dangerous-"

"And..." Hermione said, gesturing to Tonks' stomach. "That may look strange."

"Well, yes, I suppose it would." Tonks said. "If I knew Mum's house was safe for now, I'd be able to go to her house and get my Muggle savings, but I have no way of knowing if I'd be Apparating straight into a Death Eater trap. And if she's convinced them I'm dead, I can't show up, it'll get her into trouble."

"I know how it feels." Hermione said. "To not be able to visit your parents, and make sure they're safe."

Tonks looked at Hermione as they walked. "Where are your parents?"

Hermione looked around, checking that the street was still empty, before continuing so quietly that Tonks would be the only one to hear her. "I modified their memories, they're living abroad now- they don't know who I am."

"You modified their memories...?"

Hermione nodded. "They'll be safe, having no knowledge about me. Just as your mother will be safe with her blood status, and a dead family." Hermione said. "I'm sure she'll respond to one of the patronuses one day."

"I hope so, I'm starting to worry that she may have been captured or killed."

"Isn't she a pureblood?"

"Yes, she is, but she's also a blood traitor." Tonks said. "Look at what they did to Alastor, or the fact Bellatrix had no issue trying to kill Sirius in the Ministry... Blood status doesn't mean anything if you're willing to toss it aside for a Muggle born."

They turned onto a slightly busy street, and all conversation about the Wizarding world ceased as Tonks quickly changed the subject.


	14. Chapter 14

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ **I am having such issues with the hunt, Oh my god**_

 _ **So I'm cheating, don't hate me pls**_

 _ **I'm ignoring the creation of Potterwatch and some of the broadcasts.**_

* * *

They were sitting at a small table near the window. Tonks had realised she was hungry, and figured they may as well stay disguised a while longer and grab lunch together at a small cafe near the shops they had gone to.

Hermione had the feeling that they were being followed, and had felt it for a while, but hadn't wanted to say anything to Tonks. It was probably just paranoia, she figured, why bring it up?

She watched a man walk across the street, and realised something seemed familiar about him. Another man approached him, and the two entered the cafe.

Hermione saw Tonks tense up a bit, perhaps she had the same feeling that Hermione did.

The men approached the counter, and Tonks leaned forward as Hermione did.

"Get up, we'll leave calmly and casually. If they attack, you Stun, I'll shield." Tonks said quietly, and Hermione nodded. Tonks was an Auror, and it sounded like she knew exactly what to do, so Hermione trusted her completely.

They stood slowly, and the men spun, wands in their hands. Hermione and Tonks' spells were quick, but so was the spell the taller man had cast.

Hermione's spell disarmed one as Tonks' shield charm knocked the other over, but unfortunately didn't shield most of the people in the cafe from the explosion. Most of the Muggles hadn't even seen what had happened in the few seconds before the spell collided with the floor a few feet in front of Hermione and Tonks.

It took Hermione a few seconds to move, her arm aching as she reached for her wand. She felt blood trickling down her forehead, and pushed herself into a sitting position. The Death Eater that had been knocked down by Tonks was coming her way, and she quickly shot a Stunning Spell at him, the flash of red striking him in the chest. She rolled over onto her hands and knees, taking a deep breath before pushing herself to her feet. Tonks was on her feet as well, leaning on a tipped over table, her hand clutching her side, her morph dropped.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, stepping over a broken chair.

Tonks nodded. "You?"

Hermione nodded and grabbed Tonks' hand, trying to Apparate, but nothing happened.

"Anti-Apparition jinx." Tonks said. "They knew we were here."

"What do we do?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Tonks said. "You're disguised but..."

"You're not, and they know we're here." Hermione said, and Tonks nodded. "Do we fight? If more arrive?"

Tonks shook her head, looking around the cafe. There were Muggles laying in the rubble, and Hermione was sure some had to be dead. Tonks' shield charm seemed to have only managed to knock the Death Eater over and keep herself and Hermione from being killed.

"We can't do anything." Tonks said quietly. "Come on, Hermione."

Tonks turned, stepping over bits of rubble out onto the street. Other Muggles were already gathering, and they could hear sirens in the distance. They managed to walk away from the gathering Muggles, who apparently didn't even notice the two women walking away.

Tonks was still clutching her side, and when they turned down an alley, she leaned on a wall.

"Tonks, are you _sure_ that you're alright?" Hermione asked, and Tonks nodded again.

"I hit my side on the table when I fell." She said. "It's fine, I just need to catch my breath, and then we need to get out of here."

"You can't Apparate when there's an Anti-Apparition Jinx." Hermione said, and Tonks raised an eyebrow at her.

"I had no idea, thanks." Tonks commented. "We walk until we're able to Apparate again, it can't be more than a mile, I'm sure. Are you okay? Your head is bleeding."

"I'm alright." Hermione said, and Tonks nodded.

"Come on." She said, straightening up and shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. They left the alley, walking down the street towards the alley they had arrived in. "We'll try here first, and if we can't, we keep walking."

"And what are we going to tell the others?" Hermione asked. "Should we move camp?"

"No, they don't know where exactly we are, and the enchantments will keep them out anyway." Tonks said as they turned down the alley. She held a hand out to Hermione. "You take us, half a mile North of camp."

Hermione nodded, taking Tonks' hand and Apparating. It worked, and they reappeared where Tonks had asked Hermione to take them.

"They're going to worry, you know." Hermione said.

"I know." Tonks said, stepping closer to Hermione. "That's why they're not going to know."

"What?" Hermione asked. "Tonks, you can't be serious."

Tonks pressed her wand to Hermione's forehead, healing the cut and cleaning away the blood and dust. Tonks then wiped the dust from her own face, and unbuttoned her jacket. She pulled her shirt up slightly, pressing her fingers to her ribs, wincing slightly. She muttered a spell, and Hermione heard a crack as Tonks' ribs healed themselves. Tonks fixed her shirt, buttoning her jacket again.

"Tonks, if something happens, they need to know." Hermione said. "If you misc-"

"The baby's moving right now, it's fine, Hermione." Tonks said. "If we tell them, they're going to be upset. And Remus can get _extremely_ protective, Hermione, if he knows something happened... I can't stay in that tent or inside those boundaries all day and all night, I'll go insane."

"So you want to lie to them?"

"Not lie, just... It's just us not saying anything." Tonks said.

Hermione felt conflicted. In her opinion, they deserved to know the Death Eaters knew they were nearby. However, she also knew Tonks wasn't the type to sit still and stay hidden, and to take away what little freedom she had...

"If they ask if anything happened, we tell them." Hermione said. "If they don't ask, we don't tell."

Tonks smiled as they began walking. "I have a potion I've been meaning to give you." Tonks said. "I finally got it brewed correctly last night, I don't know why I couldn't get it right, I've brewed it hundreds of times..."

"What kind of potion?" Hermione asked.

"It's a type of Contraceptive Potion, you take it every four months, and you won't menstruate for four months- and obviously, you won't get pregnant if you're ' _with'_ anyone. I've taken it every four months since I was seventeen."

Hermione looked at Tonks' stomach, and Tonks sighed.

"I may have forgotten to take it in July, when I was due to. And I really wish I had remembered." Tonks said. "However... it really does work. I just figured you'd want some, I know you aren't necessarily having... well, either way, I don't know how you've been handling your periods for the last few months."

"I have some supplies in my bag, I just kept multiplying them." Hermione said. "But if I don't have to actually deal with it, I could focus more on the hunt, and can stop keeping track of when it'll begin-"

"You mean, you haven't been focusing?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I can't wait to see how it goes when you are. Just remember what date you begin taking it, and you never have to have a period again- unless you choose to have kids, of course. The potion doesn't taste very good- a lot of potions don't- but honestly, for what it does, it could be a lot worse."

* * *

Tonks spent three more days after the cafe attack waiting for word from her mother. She was still unable to produce a patronus, and Remus kept sending them for her, but Andromeda made no attempt to respond.

"I want to go to Mum's house.'' Tonks said, shortly after dinner one night.

"To what? Hide out there?" Sirius asked, and she shook her head.

"To check on her, I won't risk staying." Tonks said. "This tent may the safest place right now, until we can find somewhere no one can find. Although, I also thought that about Grimmauld..."

"Dora, it won't be safe." Remus said. "If she's not answering my patronuses, perhaps she has convinced them you've died too. The Ministry might be leaving her alone-"

"To be honest, Remus, I don't care. I haven't seen her since she told me my father was dead and that she was going to pretend I died too." Tonks said. "I want to see her-"

"How about this- I go. I'll check on her, convince her to come back here with me." Sirius said. "That way, we won't risk you being caught."

Tonks sighed, but then nodded. Sirius stood, reaching into his pocket for his wand.

"Stay here, don't follow me." He said to Tonks.

"You think I would-?"

"If Remus wasn't here to stop you, yes." Sirius said, heading for the entrance of the tent, just as Hermione entered. She watched Sirius leave, and then turned to Harry and Ron, who were playing Exploding Snap.

"I want to visit Xenophilius Lovegood." Hermione said.

"Sorry?" Harry asked, turning to her.

"Xenophilius- Luna's father. I want to go talk to him." Hermione repeated.

"The Quibbler bloke?" Tonks asked, and Hermione nodded. "Why?"

"I keep seeing this symbol everywhere." Hermione explained, holding out the two books in her hands. "Look at the 'A' in his signature, _and_ it's beside the title of this story."

"The one Viktor said was Grindelwald's mark?" Harry asked.

"Yes! It keeps cropping up!" Hermione said. "And Xenophilius-"

"Was wearing it at the wedding." Harry said.

"It has to be important, Harry, maybe Dumbledore wanted us to learn about it." Hermione said.

"Here we go again! We keep trying to convince ourselves Dumbledore left us secret signs and clues—" Harry began, sounding annoyed.

"The Deluminator's been useful, mate." Ron said.

Tonks and Remus exchanged looks, both clearly unsure whether or not they should inject their opinions. After all, neither were allowed to help out much anymore.

"I think we need to go visit Lovegood." Ron said to Harry.

"Unless you two know...?" Hermione asked, turning to Remus and Tonks.

"I've seen it, but I don't know anything about it." Tonks said. "It was on a couple of really old files from Dark Wizards, I never asked what it meant."

"Remus?" Hermione asked.

Remus shook his head. "It looks familiar, but nothing I can remember at this moment. I think visiting Xenophilius is your best option."

"But we don't need another Godric's Hollow." Harry said. "We talked ourselves into going there, and-"

"It won't be like that." Ron said. "I mean, Lovegood's on your side. The Quibbler's been telling everyone to help you."

"And I'm sure this is important!" Hermione added.

"But if it was, wouldn't he have told me-"

"Not necessarily, maybe he thought you had to find out on your own." Hermione said. "Harry, _please_ , I'm sure this is important. We can take Sirius with us, he helped us get out of Godric's Hollow-"

Harry sighed loudly. "Fine, we'll go visit Lovegood."

"Mate, cheer up, it's still Christmas holidays, Luna will be there." Ron said, but Harry simply frowned at Ron.

The conversation ceased at that point, everyone returning to what they had been doing before Sirius had left. Tonks was leaning against Remus, who had a book about pregnancy in his lap that they were going through together. Hermione returned to reading, but remained inside, and gave up after a few minutes to watch Harry and Ron play Exploding Snap.

Sirius returned nearly three hours later, and he didn't look happy when he walked into the tent and faced Tonks after answering Remus' security question.

"Your mother's been arrested."


	15. Chapter 15

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ **I am having such issues with the hunt, Oh my god**_

 _ **So I'm cheating, don't hate me pls**_

 _ **I'm ignoring the creation of Potterwatch and some of the broadcasts.**_

* * *

 _ **Also, whoops, Yaxley stole Hermione's wand but she tried to get it from Harry like two chapters ago**_

 _ **WHOOPSIE**_

* * *

Sirius Apparated into the dark garden, walking up the path quickly. He knocked, but heard no movement inside. He pointed his wand at the door, unlocking it, and entering the dark house.

"Andromeda?" He called, walking through the living room and kitchen and back to the door. He frowned and headed upstairs, but the bedrooms were all silent and dark- and empty.

Nothing appeared to be gone, it didn't seem right.

Perhaps Arthur would know. After all the Weasleys and the Tonks' had been friendly since Charlie and Tonks had attended Hogwarts together, maybe Andromeda had gone to Molly for comfort.

He left the house, Apparating in the garden, reappearing outside of the Burrow's boundaries. He walked through the boundaries, towards the house, and the door opened before he even reached it, and he found himself staring at the end of Arthur's wand.

"Prove yourself." Arthur said. Sirius noticed he looked thin, possibly ill, and exhausted. Very unlike the Arthur Weasley he knew before.

"I'm Sirius Orion Black, known as Padfoot. One of four creator's of the Marauder's Map, which two of your sons nicked from Filch's office in their first year and later gave to my godson, Harry Potter. I'm an Animagus, I can transform if you'd like."

Arthur shook his head, tucking his wand away. "We weren't sure if we'd hear from you or Remus after what happened..." Arthur said, his voice trailing off. "It's terrible, isn't it? How's Remus handling it?"

"Handling what?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"Tonks and her father's deaths. I heard about it at the Ministry. I can't imagine how Remus feels, losing his wife and child together."

Sirius' eyes widened. Did the entire Order believe it, then? "Andromeda's been here, then?" Sirius asked, as Arthur stepped back to let Sirius in.

"No." Arthur said, leading him to the sitting room, where a few other Weasleys were. Sirius noticed Bill was absent, but Charlie had come home at some point.

"Sirius!" Molly greeted, standing and walking over to him, hugging him tightly- something she had never done.

"You're all safe, then?" Sirius asked as Molly released him.

"Yes, Kingsley helped us place new enchantments." Arthur explained. "Would you like tea, Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head. "I can't stay long, I need to get back. I'm just looking for Andromeda, have you heard from her?" Sirius asked. He could tell them that Tonks was still alive when he knew where Andromeda was.

"I overheard them talking at the Ministry- some Aurors, that is- saying that Ted's body was going to be burned and that they were looking for Tonks' body, they mentioned that they arrested Andromeda." Arthur said. "I believe she's in Azkaban."

Sirius didn't know what to think for a moment, and then surprised himself by laughing.

Molly looked horrified. "Sirius, it's not something to laugh at!"

"They're going to search for Dora's body." Sirius said. "Merlin, they're going to be very disappointed."

"What are you talking about?" Charlie asked, frowning now.

"Dora's not dead." Sirius said. "She's with us."

Molly looked as if she torn between being confused and being relieved, Arthur frowned at Sirius, but Ginny and Charlie were smiling.

"Andromeda said she wanted the Ministry to believe Dora was dead, so they wouldn't keep trying to find her." Sirius explained. "I suppose it worked, she just forgot to tell the Order. And Andromeda's been arrested?"

Arthur nodded.

Sirius sighed. "I need to tell Dora. This is going to upset her."

"She's a pureblood, they won't do anything to her. Make sure Tonks remembers that." Arthur said. "In fact, they may just leave her alone in a cell- they might think killing her husband, daughter _and_ grandchild all at once is cruel enough."

"Is Tonks alright?" Molly asked. "The baby's-?"

"Getting bigger, and quickly." Sirius said. "Dora's doing alright."

"Where are you all staying right now?" Molly asked.

"The Forest of Dean, in that tent Hermione had." Sirius said. "I was going to try to find somewhere secure for Remus and Tonks to go, but I think we're just focusing on Harry's mission for now-"

"Which is...?" Molly asked.

"I can't tell you." Sirius said.

Molly sighed, but nodded. "If you're still in that tent with Tonks when she's close to delivering, bring her here. If her mother can't help, I will. And they can both stay here afterwards with the baby."

"I'll let them know." Sirius said. "Do you know where Kingsley is right now? I think it'll be best if I go to as many Order members as I can to tell them Dora's still alive. It'll be good news, compared to everything else that is happening."

"How is she handling her father's death?" Arthur asked.

"She cried for a few days, hasn't produced a patronus since." Sirius said. "But other than that, she's been alright. I'll let her and Remus know about your offer, thank you for letting me know about Andromeda."

After Sirius told a few Order members that Tonks wasn't dead and they could stop mourning her, he returned to Andromeda's home. He had thought of it while he was at the Burrow, and figured it wouldn't be a terrible thing. He knew Tonks and Remus would most likely want to stay near the others, helping as much as they could with the Horcrux hunt, but perhaps they would want to leave when Tonks went into labour. In any event, he figured a back up plan wasn't terrible, and he went into the shed.

He knew Ted did a lot of things like a Muggle, because he had been raised around Muggles, but he had never once taken Tonks Muggle camping. As far as Sirius knew, Ted owned a wizard tent and they had used magic on the trips. He found the tent easily, shrinking it and hiding it in his pocket, before returning to the Forest of Dean.

He entered the quiet tent, knowing Tonks wouldn't sleep until he came back and told her what he knew. She looked up at him as he entered, looking confused that Andromeda wasn't with him.

"Your mother's been arrested." Sirius said, after transforming into his dog form and back again for Remus' security question.

"What do you mean, Mum's been arrested?" Tonks asked, frowning.

"I don't know the details, but I went to speak to Arthur when I found Andromeda's home empty." Sirius said. "He said he had overheard them talking about you and your father- they assume you're dead- and they've burned your father's body."

"They _what_?" Tonks asked, tears filling her eyes.

"We'll have a funeral for him, Dora, when it's safe." Sirius said. "But they believe you're dead, and that's the best thing right now. Your mother's a pureblood, they most likely won't kill her."

"Bellatrix will." Tonks said. "Mum's a blood traitor, her blood status meant nothing the moment she married Dad."

"Dora, it'll be fine, Andromeda's strong, she can survive Azkaban." Sirius said, but Tonks shook her head, standing and leaving the tent. Sirius turned to Remus, realising he was starting to look a little pale and ill with the approaching moon, was it really under a week away? "Moony-"

"I'm going to give her half an hour to be out there alone." Remus said. "She needs time alone sometimes, Sirius."

Sirius nodded after a moment. "What's our next move, Harry? With the Horcruxes?"

"We're going to visit Xenophilius Lovegood tomorrow." Harry said. "We know Tonks won't be able to come with, Remus probably shouldn't either, but if you'd like to..."

* * *

"I have an idea, or I suppose a gift, and I could use an extra set of hands." Sirius said, sitting next to Hermione on the log she was sitting on shortly before midnight.

She turned to look at him, closing the book she had been reading. "And what might your idea be?" She asked.

"To give our lovely parents to be more privacy- because we know they're not going to go to any safe house we find, they want to stay and help us- I stopped by Andromeda's house again before I came back." Sirius explained. "I got Ted's old tent and I figured, maybe we could set it up for the two of them to stay in. There's not much room in it, but they can just sleep in there, join us in the bigger tent or out here during the day. It'll give Remus somewhere to go when it's near full moon and he wants to be alone, and it gives Dora space if she wants to be alone. I also had an idea to transfigure a spare chair into a crib, and we can set up Silencing Charms to keep us from waking them or the baby up, and the baby from waking us up-"

"That's a very detailed and sweet idea, Sirius." Hermione said. "So what do you need me to do?"

"Well, I figure we can set it up tonight or tomorrow night, while they're sleeping, and I just need an extra set of a hands and an extra wand to get it done before one of them wakes up."

Hermione smiled. "We can do that, I'm sure." She said. "Sirius, I realised a while ago, we don't have enough Wolfsbane for a week."

"I know." Sirius said. "We won't be able to brew more in time, we'll just have to make sure we brew some more before next month." Sirius said. "This time around, however, I'll go with him, we'll go a few miles away and I'll set some wards to keep him one area. I'll be able to control him if I'm transformed, and the wards will keep him from realising there are humans nearby. It's all we can do. We'll set up the tent for them tomorrow night, after we visit Lovegood."

Hermione nodded.

"Remus won't have an easy month without Wolfsbane." Sirius said. "I was in Azkaban when it was invented, so I didn't get to see how it affected him until a few years ago. Apparently, he didn't get to take it until a few years ago either. It really helps, he hardly injured himself when he was at Grimmauld with us. I wish I had realised we needed more earlier. Although, I was wondering, Hermione, if you'd like to learn how to brew it?"

"But if it's not brewed correctly, it could be fatal for Remus-"

Sirius shook his head. "No, Dora and I will be with you while we show you how to do it. If something goes wrong, we simply get rid of the potion and try again." Sirius said. "I figure it'll be good to have as many of us as possible to brew potions we need. Next time I go into Diagon Alley, I'm getting another cauldron so that we can brew more than one thing at a time, we need Polyjuice Potion but we can't go an entire month without brewing anything else."

* * *

They were gone for hours the next day, not returning until dusk. When they returned, they were covered in dust and looked a little beaten up. None of them seemed happy when they entered the tent, sinking into chairs.

"I could have told you _all_ of that." Sirius said. "I heard that story hundreds of times as a kid, if I knew that was why we were going-"

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"Well, Lovegood summoned the Death Eaters. Apparently they've taken Luna, he was going to hand Harry over." Sirius said. "So we may have blown his house up."

" _What_?" Tonks and Remus asked at the same time.

"The symbol is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows- from the Tale of Three Brothers." Hermione explained. "The wand, the cloak and the stone. That's what Xenophilius told us. And then he tried to stop us from leaving-"

"Summoned the Death Eaters, the treacherous old bleeder." Ron said darkly. "Hermione, you're a genius, I can't believe we got out of that- but why did I have to wear the cloak?"

"If they arrested Luna for her father simply _saying_ he was supporting Harry, how would they treat your family if they knew you were with him when you're supposed to be in bed with spattergroit?"

"Absolutely brilliant." Ron said, sounding awed.

"Anyway, the old fool had an Erumpent horn." Sirius said.

"I made sure they saw Harry so they knew he was telling the truth, and then the horn blew up." Hermione said. "I _told_ him what it was, he said I was wrong, and now his house has been blown apart!"

"What do you think will happen to Luna?" Remus asked.

"They said she was alive." Sirius said. "Probably in Azkaban, poor girl."

"She's probably teaching the inmates about Wrackspurts and Nargles." Ron said.

"About what?" Tonks asked, frowning.

Hermione rubbed her eyes, yawning slightly. "I hope you're right, Ron, I'd feel bad for Xenophilius-"

"If he hadn't just tried to sell us to the Death Eaters, I'd feel bad for him too." Sirius commented. "However, I do understand he'd want to do anything to get Luna back. Merlin knows I'd do it."

"What a waste of time." Hermione said after a moment. "Harry was right, it was Godric's Hollow all over again, and he just told us a pile of rubbish! Suppose he made it all up to keep us talking-"

"But Sirius said he's heard that story before." Ron said. "I've heard the story before-"

"I'm meaning the fact he said the Hallows exist." Hermione said. "It's just a silly myth-''

"And so was the Chamber of Secrets." Ron said. "Besides, we know that at least one exists- Harry's cloak."

Remus looked at Sirius, who nodded. "James' cloak?" Remus asked. "You think James' cloak is one?"

"Invisibility Cloaks have always existed, Ron." Hermione said. "It doesn't mean Harry's is-"

"But the charms always wear off." Harry said. "Xenophilius said that. Mine's been around, what, decades?"

"Definitely longer than that." Sirius said. "It kept getting passed down through the Potter family. It has to be nearing a century, I'd imagine."

"But it just doesn't make sense." Hermione said, frowning. "I mean, look at the Resurrection Stone! Nothing can reawaken the dead, not even a stone-"

"When my wand connected with You-Know-Who's, it brought back my parents and Cedric and..."

"It wasn't really them, though." Ron said. "And that girl who came back, in the story, it wasn't really her either, was it?"

Hermione huffed, crossing her arms. "It just doesn't make sense!"

"Just because it doesn't make sense doesn't mean it's not true, Hermione." Tonks said. "And of all things you three have seen or found, would the Deathly Hallows existing _really_ be the most unbelievable?"

Hermione was quiet for a moment, and then she shook her head. "I just think... if they exist, maybe we're in a little more trouble than we originally thought."

"What makes you say that?" Sirius asked.

"Well, if the Elder Wand really exists, I'm sure You-Know-Who is searching for it." Hermione said. "And if he finds it..."


	16. Chapter 16

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

 _So I do apologise that these kind of turned snap-shotty-jump-aroundy chapters._

 _ **I am having such issues with the hunt, Oh my god**_

 _ **So I'm cheating, don't hate me pls**_

 _ **I'm ignoring the creation of Potterwatch and some of the broadcasts.**_

* * *

She and Sirius had taken the night watch, and watched the edge of the boundaries for a few hours before Sirius stood and withdrew the shrunken tent from his pocket. Hermione watched as he set it up with magic, and then spoke after a moment.

"Sirius, don't you think we should keep moving around?" Hermione asked.

He faced her, quiet for a moment. "No." He finally said. "I think we- as in you, me, Ron and Harry- can travel around during the day, or a couple of days, and come back here each time. But we can't make the other two continuously travel. And with Dora losing her father, and her mother being arrested, I'm all the family she's got. I don't think she'll agree to go into hiding at someone else's house and not be near us- she needs to know what's going on, Remus as well. If we keep the charms strong, there's no reason we can't leave them here while we search."

"Is that why you decided we should do this?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the smaller tent. "So we don't have to ask them stay somewhere else permanently?"

Sirius shrugged. "I should have been James and Lily's Secret Keeper." He said. ''This is the closest I can get to fixing that mistake, by ensuring another child won't lose their parents because they've been found."

"The only person to blame is Wormtail." Hermione said, as they entered the smaller tent. Sirius was right when he had said it didn't have as much room as the other one. There was a much smaller kitchen area, a door she assumed led to a bathroom just as the larger tent had, one sofa and an armchair. The beds were hidden behind a curtain of canvas, one larger bed and one small cot, but it would work to let Remus and Tonks be on their own if they wanted to be.

"We could just transfigure this." Hermione said, gesturing to the cot. "It may be easier, to change a bed into another type of bed?"

Sirius nodded. "If you could do that, I'm going to make sure this bed is still usable, I don't know how long ago they may have used this tent." Sirius said.

They spent nearly an hour making sure everything was usable, and then returned outside to continue their watch. When Ron and Harry came out to take over, Sirius explained it to them, saying it was good because he would no longer have to sleep on a couch and it'd be a little less crowded for everyone.

The next morning, Sirius was not surprised he was awake before Remus or Tonks. Ron and Harry were heading back to bed for a few more hours of sleep, and Hermione had disappeared outside to read more.

"Oi, you two." Sirius said, putting his foot on the edge of the bed and shaking it slightly.

"Sod off, you git." Remus muttered, burying his head in his pillow.

"No, because you two are going to want to see this." Sirius said. Tonks groaned, but pushed herself up.

"What do we want to see?" She asked.

"I have something for you two. Hermione helped me with it." Sirius said, as Remus also sat up. Tonks and Remus exchanged a look, but slid out of bed, stuffing their feet into their shoes. Sirius gestured for them to follow him outside, where he pointed to the smaller tent.

"What about it?" Tonks asked.

"Well, seeing as I'm sleeping on a couch, and there's a distinct lack of privacy for you two, I figured maybe this would help." Sirius said. "You can put up a Silencing Charm when the baby's born, keep us from waking him up, keeping him from waking us up."

"Him?" Tonks asked, frowning.

"Just an assumption." Sirius said. "It has to be one of the two, right? Anyway, I figured it would be good for Remus right now, because this full moon he won't have enough Wolfsbane and I know how he gets-"

"So you're not planning on making us leave?" Tonks asked. "To go to a safehouse?"

Sirius shook his head. "I won't make you do anything, but if you choose to go, you can. Or you can stay with us."

"Thank you, Sirius.'' Tonks said, a smile pulling at her mouth. "That was actually really nice of you."

* * *

That afternoon, Remus and Tonks were left alone again. Sirius went with the trio to search somewhere Harry had remembered, hoping to find a Horcrux. They returned home empty handed, but disappeared the next day too, and the next one. They continued this until the day of the full moon, when they remained at the tent.

Remus was too tired to really do much in terms of helping the others, and he could feel the impending transformation already settling into his bones and muscles. Tonks seemed quieter than usual, sleeping a few hours longer than she had been usually doing, but Remus wasn't going to question her about it. If she needed to talk, she would.

He stayed in bed most of the day, even after Tonks had gotten up and joined the others in the bigger tent. He lay quietly, listening to the rain beating down onto the canvas roof above, not getting up until Sirius came to tell him it was almost time. Sirius never really had to tell him, Remus' body told him itself, but Remus never stopped Sirius from doing so.

They left the boundaries, after Hermione said she'd meet them on the other side in the morning, Sirius putting up extra wards to keep Remus from knowing there were humans nearby.

They had time to walk a few miles, even though Remus walked slowly, his body exhausted and sore already. Sirius placed a few wards to try to keep Remus in one area, transforming into his dog form just as Remus felt the first painful moments of the transformation.

The next morning, he woke up to bright sunlight. He barely remembered the night before, but he knew it had been raining all night, so the sunlight was a welcome sight. Sirius was sitting on a fallen log, holding his and Remus' wands and a bundle of clothes. Remus sat up slowly, thankful(as always) that Sirius covered him up when he transformed back.

"Alright there, Moony?" Sirius asked, standing and walking over to him. "Here." Sirius dropped some clothes onto the blanket covering Remus' lap. "Get dressed, we have a bit of a walk."

"Did we wander far?" Remus asked as he slowly pulled the tshirt over his head.

"We're on the _other_ side of the river." Sirius said, turning away so Remus could pull the pants on- it was all just a small and worthless attempt at maintaining Remus' dignity, he knew Sirius and James _and_ Peter had seen him naked and vulnerable countless times because of the moons. "We can Apparate if you're feeling well enough, though."

* * *

Weeks slowly passed. She grew bigger, despite many times thinking she just couldn't _possibly,_ but she did. The baby became more active and she found herself sleeping less. Sirius and the trio were gone sometimes for days, searching anywhere they could think of- sometimes twice- but having no luck.

As March approached, Remus began to transfigure his looks, disappearing into the Muggle town with a notebook for hours at a time each day, leaving her completely alone.

Within the boundaries she was safe, and she remained in the boundaries if she was alone. When Remus returned, he never told her what he had been doing.

She was able help though. One night, she had dropped a cup she had been holding- she insisted it wasn't her fault, she had become even clumsier for some reason- and because she couldn't bend down to get it, she had summoned it wandlessly, and then started laughing because that was definitely not why Moody had taught her wandless summoning.

It was the only wandless magic she really knew, and she had only learned it because she was an Auror and if she lost her wand for any reason, she needed a way to get it back- so Moody had taught her how to wandlessly summon it.

Hermione and Harry showed the most interest in learning how to do it, so she spent the evenings that they were in the tent trying to teach them. It took Hermione nine days to finally do it, but Harry still struggled.

She figured she must have read the few baby books they had managed to get dozens of times, and had even tried to read the books about Horcruxes before she had been thoroughly disgusted by what the books contained and never finished. Hermione left the books she had been carrying in her beaded bag, providing Tonks with a few more options, but Tonks was still bored every time she was alone.

She asked Remus what he was doing, but he always gave the same answer.

"You'll see."

It was good, she supposed, that they had time alone as well as the smaller tent to be alone in, because it gave them time to be together, it gave them time to rediscover each other. While it was only a few times over the course of late February and early March that they made love during the times the others were gone, it gave her a chance to truly ignore the war and the events of July. She allowed herself to believe that she was carrying Remus' child during the time he kissed her bump gently.

During the time she spent completely alone, however, she did sometimes wonder about Sirius' theory- that her memory had been modified. It would make sense, it would explain a lot, but why? Why would the person who helped not want her to know? She wondered briefly if it was Snape- perhaps it was why she had been so insistent that he wouldn't share the location of Grimmauld Place.

By late-March, she was getting frustrated by Remus' secrecy. Sirius and the trio were once again gone, and had been for the last three days. It was getting late, and both were tired, but generally stayed up late when the others were gone, waiting for them to return.

"Remus, I'm begging you to tell me the truth." She said, wringing her hands. "Why do you keep disappearing?"

He looked at her, and then reached into his pocket and pulling out the notebook. "I've finished anyway, so I suppose it's time to tell you." He said, handing her the book.

She frowned, a little confused, but took the notebook, sinking onto the couch next to him. She opened it, her eyes scanning his familiar handwriting. "Remus, is this...?" She began to ask.

"With Andromeda arrested, and the baby coming in only a couple of weeks, I decided to do some research." Remus explained. "Sirius is going to brew the potion we need, the one that will tell us if the baby is mine or- or not. However, I figured none of us are really focusing on the most important thing."

"The birth?" Tonks asked. "How have you been getting all of this information?"

"When I disguise myself, I go to the Muggle library. They've asked me why I read so many medical books, I've said I'm thinking of becoming a doctor, and they leave me alone. I've found many books to research the subject, it's all written down in there." Remus said. "There are positions that will help make delivery slightly easier, there's information about the stages of labour and how to handle a baby immediately afterwards, there's information about what you'll go through afterwards- Dora, don't _cry_."

She hadn't realised she had started to cry until he said anything. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"I know." Remus said, reaching for her hand. "Come here, love."

She shifted so she was sitting on his lap, her feet stretched out onto the couch beside him. He rested his head against her shoulder, one arm behind her on the arm of the couch, his other hand resting on her bump. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder, resting her cheek against the top of his head.

"Why do you care so much?" Tonks asked quietly. "For a child that may not be yours?"

"Love, as I've told you so many times, this child is mine." Remus responded, brushing his thumb back and forth slowly, the baby moving beneath his hand. "I don't care who fathered him or her, they're mine."

"Do you want to know?"

Remus was quiet for a moment. "Yes, but it will never change anything. I'd just like to know to-"

There was a loud crack right outside of the tent, and they froze. She stood, Remus holding her arm to help her keep her balance, before standing and grabbing his wand.

"Stay here." Remus said, walking towards the mouth of the tent.

"Remus-"

"Dora, _stay here_." He repeated, disappearing outside.

* * *

 _ **I'd like to thank everyone reviewing so far!**_

 _ **So, yes, we're getting close to the end. I won't guess how many more chapters because sometimes I lie.**_

Thank you for the continued reviews!


	17. Chapter 17

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

* * *

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

Remus had been expecting Death Eaters when he walked out of the tent. He had been expecting to get into a duel, just to stop them from getting inside the tent to Dora, who he was sure would try to duel her way out too.

However, instead of Death Eaters, two of his previous students and a wandmaker had appeared- _inside_ their boundaries- with a house elf, who disappeared with another loud crack.

He was momentarily confused, unsure of what to say. And then he realised that they had gotten into the boundaries. "How did you get through the boundaries?" Remus asked, his wand still clasped tightly in his hand. Dean was supporting Ollivander, who looked extremely ill and frail.

"Dobby said his magic was different than wizards, and Sirius told us where to go." Dean explained. "He also said, to prove we weren't Death Eaters, we had to mention that when you were fourteen, you went to Hogsmeade with Lily Evans as friends and your friend James Potter didn't talk to you for a week-"

"Where are they?" Remus asked, pocketing his wand. Only Sirius would tell someone to something like that just to prove they weren't a danger. "Sirius and the others?"

"They got captured, brought to Malfoy's house-" Dean began.

"What?" Remus demanded.

"That's why Dobby showed up, to help Harry." Dean explained. "He went back to get them out."

Remus was still confused that they had gotten through the boundaries. Even if house elf magic was different, it still made him uneasy. What if the Death Eaters thought to do that?

"Come inside the tent." He finally said, stepping forward to help Dean with Ollivander. Luna followed the men into the tent, where Tonks was standing in front near the entrance, clutching her wand. Remus helped Ollivander to the couch, Dean stepping back to sink into an armchair as Luna sat beside Ollivander.

* * *

The second they entered the tent, she was on guard, tightening her grip on her wand.

"What exactly is going on?" Tonks asked, frowning.

"Luna, Dean, Mr Ollivander, this is my wife Nymphadora-"

"Tonks." Tonks corrected and Remus smiled slightly at her. "Also, that doesn't explain what happened. How did you get through our boundaries?"

"Dobby brought us." Luna explained and Tonks' frown deepened.

"Who?" She asked.

"A house elf." Remus explained. "House elf magic is different than ours, Dora, and Sirius told them where to go."

"Where's Sirius, then?"

"Malfoy Manor, apparently." Remus said, and Tonks paled. "I'll make some tea, and I suppose you three may be hungry if you've been imprisoned long."

"Do you want some help?" Tonks as as he walked into the kitchen area.

"No, Dora, sit down, rest your feet." Remus said, but Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Are any of you injured?" She asked, but they all shook their head. "How long were you with them?"

"Since before Christmas." Luna said.

"I was captured with Harry and the others." Dean explained.

Tonks looked at Ollivander, who didn't answer for a moment. "For a while."

"Your shop was ransacked almost a year and a half ago, where you with them the entire time?" Tonks asked, and Ollivander nodded. Tonks walked over to where the others left their rucksacks while they were gone- there was never a pointing taking everything with them if they were coming back- summoned Sirius' into her hand and began digging through his clothes.

"I figure Sirius' clothes might fit you two better. You might be too tall for Harry or Ron's clothes, Dean." She said. "For you, Luna, I'll go mine and Hermione's, we'll have something for sure, even if it's a little long or too large, at least you lot can get cleaned up."

There were three loud cracks outside, and they heard someone swear.

''Help us!" Harry's voice yelled, and Remus walked over to Tonks, snatching her wand from her hand.

"Remus!"

"Dean, with me." Remus said, ignoring her and handing her wand to Dean.

"Remus, you can't just take my wand!" Tonks objected.

Remus didn't respond, but Dean gave her an apologetic glance before Remus led him from the tent. Tonks shook her head, walking over to finish making the tea.

"We can get you fresh clothes in a few minutes, I suppose." She said. "You should eat something first."

"Mrs Lupin, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been married to Professor Lupin?" Luna asked. "When he taught at Hogwarts, a lot of the older girls in Ravenclaw said he couldn't possibly married."

Tonks laughed quietly. "Well, he wasn't married then." She said. "We got married last July. I actually didn't even know him when he taught at Hogwarts. I met him after the Triwizard Tournament. I don't know how you two take your tea."

* * *

"Stop, or she dies!" Bellatrix shrieked.

The room seemed to freeze as Sirius saw Harry and Ron straighten up, staring at Bellatrix. Bellatrix was supporting Hermione, a short silver blade pressed against her throat.

"Drop your wands, or we'll see how filthy her blood really is." Bellatrix whispered. Harry and Ron didn't move for a minute, not until Bellatrix pressed the knife harder, a few drops of blood appearing. Ron, Harry and Sirius dropped their wands, and then Sirius noticed it, as Bellatrix spoke again. "Good! Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!"

It seemed out of place among the dark, tangled hair and black Death Eater robes, the silver chain and the silver pendant that encased a pearl- he knew that necklace. He had seen it before.

"Andromeda."

The name slipped from his lips before he could stop it, and Bellatrix grinned wickedly. "You've noticed my trophy, then." She said. "Oh, yes, my darling sister was here. I believe I was merciful, she didn't suffer- much. She screamed, though, I can't deny that. She screamed for the Mudblood, and for her freak of a daughter. The family tree was diseased, Sirius, I merely cut away all of the parts that threatened the rest of us."

Sirius bit back his retort- that she really hadn't, not yet, knowing that for Bellatrix to know Tonks was alive would be putting Tonks in danger once again.

"Now, Cissy, I think we ought to tie these three heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood. I am sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge you the girl, Greyback, after what you have done tonight." Bellatrix said. "It is a shame, Sirius, to kill the last male Black heir, but it must be done."

There was a strange grinding noise, and almost everyone in the room looked up to see the enormous chandelier swaying dangerously, creaking and jingling, beginning to fall...

Bellatrix shrieked, dropping Hermione and diving out of the way as the chandelier landed on Hermione, exploding outwards, shards of crystal flying everywhere.

Sirius and Harry went for wands immediately, Ron raced to get Hermione away from the chandelier. Harry had grabbed the three wands from Draco's hand, Stunning Greyback.

As Bellatrix was pushing herself to her feet, Sirius had run to her, wrenching her wand from her hand, ripping the necklace from the woman's neck, earning a cut on his cheek from her knife as she tried to fight off his hands.

"Dobby!" Narcissa cried, her wand pointed at the door. Bellatrix's moves froze, and Sirius turned to stare as well. "You! You dropped the chandelier—?"

A house elf was standing in the doorway, wide eyes looking around the room. Sirius walked away from Bellatrix, out of reach of her knife, clutching her wand in his hand. The urge to snap it was strong, but he needed it to fight for the moment.

Dobby took a few steps, his shaky finger pointed at Narcissa. "You must not hurt Harry Potter!"

"Cissy, kill him!" Bellatrix shrieked, but there was a crack and Narcissa's wand flew from her hand, landing on the other side of the room. "You dirty- You dare take a witch's wand? How dare you defy your masters?"

"Dobby has no masters." The house elf said, moving towards where the group was. "Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

"Ron, catch and go!" Harry yelled, throwing a wand to Ron. Sirius reached down, grabbing the goblin and the sword free from the wreckage of the chandelier as Ron and Hermione disappeared with a loud crack. Bellatrix threw her knife just as Harry and Dobby disappeared, and Sirius didn't even see where it had gone because he had also already Apparated away.

* * *

"What happened?" Remus asked, as he took in the sight in front of him. Hermione was unconscious, being held up by Ron. Harry was holding the house elf from earlier, but the house elf was limp and covered in blood. Sirius was standing still, staring at the ground, something shiny clutched in his fist. Beside Sirius, a goblin was clutching the Sword of Gryffindor, his legs very clearly broken.

"Bellatrix." Ron said. "Tortured Hermione-"

Sirius seemed to snap out of the momentary trance, walking over and lifting Hermione under her arms and knees. "I'll take her, Ron. Put her somewhere quiet to rest." He said, disappearing into the smaller tent with her.

Harry was still kneeling, staring at the house elf's blank eyes. Remus didn't know where to begin. He walked over to the goblin as Dean and Ron walked over to Harry. The goblin watched him with dark eyes filled with mistrust. He overheard Harry say something about burying Dobby, and Ron and Dean offered to help.

"I can heal your legs." Remus said, kneeling. "If you'll trust a wizard's magic."

The goblin eyed him, and then gave a single nod. Remus tapped his wand against the goblin's legs, healing the breaks he could find. After he was sure he had healed them all, he lifted the goblin, carrying him into the tent and leaving him on one of the bunks. Remus took the sword, leaving it right beside the bed.

Tonks had made enough tea for everyone, simply moving the cups, sugar and milk to the table because she didn't know how everyone took their tea.

"Where are...?" Tonks began to ask.

"Sirius took Hermione into the other tent, she was tortured apparently." Remus said. "Harry, Ron and Dean are still outside, burying the house elf."

"Can you find some clean clothes for Ollivander and Dean? I'll go check on Sirius and Hermione, and find some for Luna." Tonks said, and Remus nodded.

* * *

"Is she alright?" Tonks asked, entering the tent.

"She should be." Sirius said, turning to her.

"What happened to her?"

"Bellatrix." Sirius said. "I'm sorry I put her on your bed, it's just going to be crowded in the other tent for a couple of days-"

"It's fine. I'll sleep on the other side of the bed, she'll wake up to a familiar face." Tonks said. "I'm sure Remus won't mind spending tonight on the sofa. Are you alright?"

Sirius nodded, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"How did you get caught?" Tonks asked.

"We were on our way back here, actually." Sirius said. "We walked quite a ways, we were talking and it just kind of happened."

"What did?" Tonks asked.

"Harry said You-Know-Who's name. He obviously didn't mean to, but it was- it was instantaneous, we had no chance to get away." Sirius said. "Dora, there's something you should know."

"What's that?" Tonks asked.

He walked closer to her, pulling something from his pocket. He opened his fist and for a moment she frowned, until she realised he was holding a necklace in his hand. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognised it as the necklace her father had given her mother the day they had gotten married. Her mother wore it often, the only reason Sirius would have it is if the Death Eaters had had it...

"Where did you get that?" She asked, her voice almost silent.

"Bellatrix." Sirius answered. "Dora, I'm so sorry."

She felt her knees buckle, and Sirius caught her under the arms before she hit the ground. He hugged her to his chest as he lowered her to the ground. She felt a sob escape her as she clutched at the front of his shirt.


	18. Chapter 18

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

* * *

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Tonks asked, and Remus nodded.

"Hermione should have someone familiar when she wakes up, she may feel better that way." Remus said. "Besides, I can't ask you to sleep on a couch right now, you need somewhere comfortable."

"I fell asleep on the couch the other day, Remus."

"But your back was hurting afterward."

"Well... I don't think that was because I slept on the couch, I think it's just because I'm carrying this extra weight around."

"I'll be fine, Dora." He said. "Go to bed, get some sleep."

"Are you sure?" She asked. "You're too tall for that couch-"

"I've slept in worse places, love." Remus said. "Go get some sleep. Besides, it might be less of a shock for Hermione to wake up next to you."

* * *

Hermione woke up slowly, her face pressed against a pillow, every muscle aching. It took her a moment to realise she wasn't in Malfoy Manor anymore- she was in the tent. It took her another minute to realise someone was holding her hand.

Hermione used her free hand to shove her hair out of her face, looking over to see Tonks next to her, asleep on her side with one arm tucked under her head, her other hand holding Hermione's. Hermione released Tonks' hand, shifting to sit up. The movement woke Tonks up, who also sat up slowly.

"Oh, Hermione, you're awake." She said, yawning and letting go of her hand. "I hope the hand holding isn't weird for you, you were a little restless in your sleep, and I tried to wake you to make sure you were okay, but you simply grabbed my hand and remained still for the rest of the night.''

"You've been with me all night?" Hermione asked.

"On and off." Tonks said. "I had to sneak away to use the loo, obviously, but other than that..."

"What happened? Sirius didn't give many details." Tonks said. "Are you feeling alright?"

Hermione nodded slowly. "I mean, I'm sore, and my muscles feel a little-"

"Jumpy?" Tonks asked, and Hermione nodded. "That'll go away after a few days, or a couple of weeks, depending how badly Bellatrix tortured you. My Mum told me Calming Draughts help with the jumpy feeling- and it did help a bit back in August for me, I can go get you get one, if you think you need it?"

"No, you don't have to get up just to get me something, I can go get one myself-"

Tonks shook her head. "It's fine, I'll get one. You should keep resting." Tonks said, sliding to the edge of the bed and standing slowly. "Are you hungry? I can grab you something."

Hermione shook her head. She actually felt nauseous, if she were being honest. "Tonks?" Hermione asked, and Tonks turned to her. "Is everything alright?"

Tonks was quiet for a moment. "The house elf didn't survive." Tonks finally said.

Hermione felt upset. Dobby had shown up to save them, and had lost his life for it. Tonks had left, and Hermione stared at the bed covers, tears stinging her eyes as she tried to rub the jumpy feeling out of her arm.

* * *

Sirius and Remus went together to the Burrow two days later, hoping there was room there for the people saved from the cellar of Malfoy Manor. The house was empty and looked ransacked.

"We'll try Bill's place, then." Sirius decided. Remus nodded, and they Apparated outside of the boundaries of Shell Cottage. Bill had told Sirius in late August where their house was, but they hadn't need to visit until now, and Sirius hoped they wouldn't be interrupting anything by arriving with no notice.

They walked up the path, knocking on the door loudly.

"Who is it?" Bill's voice called a moment later.

"Sirius Orion Black, known as Padfoot, one of the creators of the Marauder Map's- cousin of your younger brother's old school friend's mother, Nymphadora Tonks, who is due to give birth in the next few weeks to the child of Remus John Lupin, a werewolf also known as Moony-"

The door opened and Bill stood there. "Sirius, Remus, what can I do for you?" Bill asked, letting them walk in.

"First off, I wasn't done proving who we were." Sirius said, and Bill rolled his eyes. "We were looking for Molly and Arthur."

"They're at Muriel's now." Bill explained. "We moved them over there last week."

"We had an incident last night, are now we have four extra people with us. We're looking for somewhere to move them to."

"Who is it?" Bill asked. "We have room here, I'm sure Fleur won't mind, she's getting annoyed with the inactivity anyway."

"Ollivander, Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas and a goblin." Sirius said. "We barely had enough room for everyone who was already with us, now we definitely don't have enough room."

Bill nodded. "Bring them here, then." He said. "You're going to want as few people around as possible when Tonks finally has the baby. Trust me, it's what Mum wanted with Ron _and_ Ginny, it's what she'll want. Is that why you were looking for Mum?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, Moony seems to have everything under control from what I'm seeing. We were just looking for somewhere to bring the others that are with us."

Bill nodded. "Well, if you decide you need Mum for any reason, come back here, I'll show you where Muriel's place is."

* * *

The next day, they took Ollivander, Luna, Dean and Griphook to Shell Cottage. It was oddly quiet once they were gone, with Hermione recovering from Bellatrix's harsh tortures.

Talk of Horcruxes and the war seemed to pause for the next two weeks. April brought rainy weather, and Tonks, who had been going into town less and less anyway, stopped going altogether. The forest floor would be slick with mud and wet foliage, and Remus made it very clear he was concerned that she'd fall at some point. So, instead, Sirius went with Remus, the two of them making the trips very short now that there was a possibility of Tonks having the baby any day now- and because they weren't entirely sure _when_ she'd give birth, she was rarely alone for long, even though the trio kept visiting Shell Cottage to see Griphook or Ollivander.

One evening, when they returned, they admitted what they had learned.

"You-Know-Who has the Elder Wand." Harry said. "We didn't find it in time."

"We didn't know where to look." Sirius said.

"It was with Dumbledore." Harry said, tapping his fist on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. "The whole time... he had it."

"If Albus' wand really was the Elder Wand, what's next?" Sirius asked. "An unbeatable wand... Merlin, it won't be easy to defeat You-Know-Who now."

"I know." Harry said, sounding somewhat irritated.

"Harry, you can't be upset." Hermione said gently. "You couldn't broken into Dumbledore's grave-"

"Maybe we were supposed to figure out the symbol in time to get the wand." Harry said. "We just have to keep going, keep destroying the Horcruxes."

"How are we supposed to do that after you promised the sword to Griphook?" Ron asked.

"You _what_?" Sirius demanded. "Harry, you can't make deals with goblins."

"We need to get into Gringotts." Harry said. "And Griphook can help us, so I promised him the sword. He can have it when we're done with the Horcruxes, I'll keep my word."

"Harry, that could be _years_." Hermione said.

"Either way, I'll keep my word." Harry said. "We just need to figure out how to get into Gringotts."

"We have Polyjuice Potion, not much, but enough for a one person." Hermione said.

"We could brew some more, if you'd be willing to wait a month." Tonks said, but Harry shook his head.

"I want to get there as soon as possible. We'll find a way to make it work." He said.

"I should have brewed some more, but we need other potions more... I'm sorry." Tonks said.

"It's fine, Tonks, we can make it work." Hermione said gently. "You wouldn't have been able to brew it anyway, you had to brew Wolfsbane _and_ the pain potions a few weeks ago, we only have the two cauldrons. You're right, there are other potions we needed more. We can use magic to disguise ourselves if we have to."

"Like I said, we have no plan to get into Gringotts." Harry said. "I don't know how to get in, what kind of protection-"

"Whose vault do we need?" Sirius asked.

"Bellatrix's?"

Sirius let out a low whistle. "Harry, no offense, but you must be barking mad to want into _her_ vault." He said. "The Lestrange Vault will be heavily protected."

"I know." Harry said frowning. "But I think there's a Horcrux, we need to get in there."

"We have a hair from Bellatrix." Hermione said slowly. "I found it on my clothes."

"You also asleep next to me, are you sure it's not mine?" Tonks asked.

"Is there a way to find out?" Hermione asked.

"Not that I know of." Tonks said. "But if you take Polyjuice Potion with that hair in it, you could become me and you've wasted what Polyjuice we had."

"But if she turns into you, Tonks, can't we transfigure her to look like Bellatrix?" Ron asked. "I mean, no offense, but you do look similar-"

"To my mother." Tonks said pointedly. "I look like my mother."

Sirius seemed to be thinking, and then nodded. "I don't see why we couldn't." He said. "It may last longer if we do that, actually. And if we have Bellatrix with us..."

"We also have her wand." Harry said.

"We do have a problem, though." Remus said.

"What's that?" Sirius asked.

"None of us have Death Eater robes. Bellatrix won't be very convincing without them." Remus said.

"We can find something." Tonks said. "If we grabbed my Auror robes when we left our house, we may be able to transfigure them to look convincing enough."

* * *

Tonks woke up a couple times during the night, not really sure why she was awake each time, but the third time she realised that each time she woke up feeling uncomfortable. At her size, she wasn't surprised, more annoyed, but the fourth time, she realised where the discomfort was coming from. It wasn't as painful as she would have expected a contraction to feel and she realised she had been expecting a more... dramatic beginning for when she went into labour. She fell asleep again shortly after it passed. After all, if she could sleep between them, it couldn't be any time soon, right?

She woke up a couple hours later, still half asleep when she felt it. She had assumed that the contraction that had just passed had been just like the other few that she had felt during the night, but she felt what she would describe as a 'popping' sensation, confused for a split second before she felt something wet on her inner thigh.

She pushed herself up onto her elbow, grabbing her wand from under her pillow and turning onto her back before sitting up. She lit her wand, pushing the blanket off of her legs. There was a damp spot on the sheets, and then she realised what it meant.

She reached over, gently shaking Remus. He sat up, frowning slightly.

"Are you alright?" He asked tiredly.

"I think my water broke." She said, and his eyes widened.

"What do you need?" He asked immediately.

"Dry clothes, for one." She said, setting her wand on the bed so it lit up the small area dimly.

He laughed lightly, getting out of bed and walking to the bag that held their clothes. She got out of bed as he brought her the clothes.

"Does it hurt?" Remus asked, and she shook her head.

"The contraction already passed, Remus." She said. "It could still be a while before the baby is born, I just want to go back to bed."

He smiled slightly, picking up his own wand. While she changed, he leaned over to her side of the bed, cleaning and drying the sheets with a few spells. He set his wand down, climbing back into bed as she did the same, picking her wand up and extinguishing the light.

"Wake me up if you need me." Remus said once she got comfortable and he was rubbing her back slowly, the only thing he really knew to do to try and help her.

"Oh, I will."

* * *

 **So yesssss, we are nearing Teddy's first appearance, and then we'll be even closer to the final chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

* * *

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

 _ **Also, birth scene.**_

 _ **Thanks, Google.**_

* * *

They woke up again a few hours later when it was finally light out. Her contractions had increased slightly, and were now fifteen minutes apart. For a while they stayed in the smaller tent, trying different things to make her feel better and alleviate the discomfort. She found, for a while, most of the relief she got was if she was on her knees on the bed, her elbows on a pillow and Remus rubbed her lower back. Unfortunately, her arms got tired surprisingly fast, and she'd only last through two contractions before she had to move again.

They joined the others in the main tent after a while, where she paced through contractions for hours, trying to distract herself by trying to help them figure out a way into Gringotts. Remus was detached from the conversation, focusing solely on her. Between contractions, she leaned against the back of the couch, resting her forehead on her forearms, as Remus rubbed her lower back slowly. It helped, she noticed, but then another contraction would start and she'd be uncomfortable again. Remus kept his notes in his pocket, trying to suggest different things to help her get through it.

"So you need Hufflepuff's cup, the snake, something of Ravenclaw's." She said, exhaling heavily as another contraction began to build. She was leaning slightly, her hands on the back of the couch, looking over Sirius' shoulder at the parchment in his hand.

"And we know where the snake is." Sirius said. "But we don't know where the cup is, or Ravenclaw's item- which could be the diadem, which makes it even harder."

"And you think the cup is in Gringotts?" She asked.

Sirius turned to look at her. "Yes, it's our best bet."

"But what if it's not?" Tonks asked, looking towards Harry, who shrugged. Sirius turned back around.

"I guess we hope that is."

"You know where her vault is?" She asked Sirius, who had drawn a rough diagram that was a little difficult to read of where the vaults could be.

"It'll be near mine, no doubt." Sirius said. "Pureblood families like ours, they'll be well protected, low down. I could go in, claiming to need access to my vault, but-"

"You could be caught, we should continue with the Polyjuice plan." Tonks said, and then she groaned, tightening her grip on the couch.

"Is it getting bad?" Remus asked, from the kitchen area.

"It's not getting better, they're closer together, and what kind of question is that?" She asked, breathing heavily. The contractions were now almost four and a half minutes apart, lasting close to an entire minute. She was sure it was going to be soon, and she was beginning to feel a mix of anxious and excited. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"I happen to know, out of this entire group, Hermione and I are better at cooking than the rest of you." Remus said. "I'm just getting a few days of meals ready, so we won't have to worry about it too much-"

"I can cook." Sirius said.

"Just because you can, doesn't meant you should." Remus said. "You and Dora are the same in the kitchen, you _can_ cook, but is it edible?"

Tonks scoffed. "Thanks, Remus."

"Maybe you should go lay down for a while, Dora." Remus said. "Rest a bit."

She nodded after a moment.

"Do you want me to come with you, or do you want to be alone?" Remus asked.

"You can stay here, keeping doing what you're doing." She said. "It's fine."

He took off his watch handing it to her as she passed him. "I'll check on you in a while, or call me when you need me."

She had wanted to help more with the Horcruxes, but she just couldn't. There wasn't much for a heavily pregnant witch to do in a hunt for Horcruxes, or even in the Order itself, and now that she was lasting only a few minutes of conversation before another contraction, she was completely useless even in helping with the plans.

She went into the other tent, managing to get roughly an hour of interrupted sleep. When she woke up the tenth time, the contractions were even closer so she gave up trying to sleep at all.

Remus joined her, encouraging her through contractions, trying to help her breathe through them. He pressed a cool cloth to her sweaty forehead, and she knew he was trying to stay calm for her, but she could tell he was worried.

"You're doing great, Dora." He said as a particularly painful contraction passed and she tried to catch her breath. She had felt the urge to push, which had to be a good thing, she had to be close. Remus believed so too, consulting his notebook once again.

As the next contraction began, she felt it again, and couldn't stop herself from pushing with the urge as she was crouched on the ground, leaning back against the edge of the bed- according to Remus' research, she could be making this easier on herself by being mostly upright, but it really didn't help the discomfort.

Remus was kneeling in front of her, one hand clutching one of hers, his other hand holding his watch as he watched the seconds tick by. Her free hand was balled into a fist on his shoulder, and she cried out as the pain seemed to build.

Remus looked away from his watch as she tried to catch her breath when the contraction passed, but she knew a new one was going to start again any time.

"I can see the head." He said quietly. "You're doing great, love."

She glared at him, part of her wanting to tell him to sod off and blame him, part of her actually grateful that he was there. She was saved from having to decide what to say as another wave of pain began and she cried out instead, Remus tossing his watch over her shoulder onto the bed and trying to encourage her through the last few moments.

* * *

Sirius was stabbing at a piece of parchment with a quill. Even though he knew why they hadn't set up a Silencing Charm- in case Remus needed help for whatever reason- he still found himself hoping there was one, as he listened for any signs that things were going wrong. However, listening to her cries... he wasn't sure anything was going _right_.

Everyone inside the smaller tent was the last of his family(except for Harry, who was sitting with Sirius), and he couldn't help but feel worried. He also couldn't help but feel a new level of anger for Rodolphus, knowing Tonks was in a horrible amount of pain- possibly because of him. He had the vial in his pocket, waiting to learn who had fathered Tonks' child, and Sirius sincerely hoped that just this once, things would go in Remus' favour.

Sirius hated that there was a possibility that it was Rodolphus' fault that he was sitting here with the trio, waiting to hear if everything was normal, if Tonks was alright, if it was a boy or a girl...

On the other hand, if it was because of Remus, he would be overjoyed. Remus deserved a healthy child, so did Tonks. More than anything right now, they deserved a healthy child that was Remus'.

After Sirius began to wonder whether her cries of pain were lasting too long or if it was normal, there was a strange silence and Sirius began to feel even more worried. Had something happened? Gone wrong?

He stood, intent on going over to the smaller tent, just to make sure nothing bad had happened, and then he heard it. Above the wind, it was harder to hear than her screams had been, but it was there.

A baby was crying. He felt relief flood through him as he grinned, sitting down again. He felt confident that if everything had gone well this far, that it would continue to be alright.

Perhaps, just this once, life would favour Remus.

* * *

Her last scream died away as she saw Remus holding a tiny baby in his hands.

"A boy." Remus said, sounding relieved as he smiled at her.

"He's not crying." Tonks said. "Shouldn't he be-" She broke off as the baby's mouth open and he began to cry. Remus leaned towards her, clearly intent on setting the baby on her chest.

For a moment she froze up, staring at the crying, squirming mess in her husband's arms, and then her body seemed to act on its own. Her arms moved to cradle the baby as Remus placed him in her arms, and she realised she was crying as well.

Her child.

This was _her_ child.

No matter what, even if this was Remus' son or not. _He was hers_.

Remus was smiling, saying he was proud of her, saying she had done so well.

Another half hour later, and both mother and baby were cleaned up and resting after his first feeding. Remus, after making sure Tonks and the baby were dealt with first, cleaned himself and the end of the bed up, and then went to talk to Sirius, and both men had just come back into the tent.

"Well... look at this." Sirius said, sitting on the side of the bed gently. "He's handsome, good job, Dora. Your parents would be so happy right now, you know."

Tonks smiled, blinking back tears as she nodded. "I'm sorry he'll never know them." She said quietly.

Sirius pulled out a small vial of silver liquid from his pocket. "If you want to know." He said, and Tonks looked at Remus.

"Remus? Do you want to know?"

Remus sat on the other side of the bed, looking down at the baby. He ran a hand over the baby's dark hair, which lightened to a shade of brown at the contact. "I'd be lying if I said no." Remus said, and she nodded. Remus reached up, pulling out a strand of his hair.

"How do we...?" Tonks began to ask. "It'll upset him."

Sirius uncorked the vial, holding it out so Remus could drop his hair in. Remus leaned over the baby, running his hand through the thin hair, waving his wand to cut a very small amount off. Sirius held out the vial again, and Remus dropped the hair in.

Sirius corked it again, pocketing it. "So we don't watch it obsessively." He said, and checked his watch. "Three minutes from now."

"If it turns out... the way neither of us want it to, what do you want to do?" Remus asked Tonks.

"I don't know. He's still... even in that case, he's still mine."

"Then he'll still be mine as well."

"You said you wanted to name him after Dad, but if he's-"

"If you don't feel comfortable doing that, we'll find another name." Remus said.

"I'm sorry, Remus.'' Tonks said quietly. "If this is-"

"Stop apologising." Sirius said sternly. "You've apologised so much these last few months for something that isn't even your fault."

"I just feel stupid, I should have realised Rodolphus wouldn't have cared enough to cast a charm, I should have taken a potion- I just didn't think about it-"

"That still doesn't make it your fault." Remus said. "It was _never_ your fault."

"I really do wish I could have tortured him a bit." Sirius said.

"He should have a godfather." Tonks said. "Even if he's... if anything happens to us, he still needs someone to help him."

Remus nodded. "You said godfather, do you have someone in mind?" He asked.

"Harry?" Tonks suggested, and Remus smiled.

"He'd be brilliant." Remus agreed.

"Good choice. Of course, you know, if anything happens, I'm not going anywhere. And Harry's going to need someone who knows what kind of mischief young Metamorphmagi can cause." Sirius said, checking his watch, and then put his hand in his pocket. "Black if he's not Remus', gold if he is." He said. "Are you ready?"

Tonks wanted to kick Sirius, maybe knock him down, just to get rid of the vial, but she had the baby in her arms- she couldn't move without waking him up. Sirius had the vial concealed in his fist when he pulled his hand from his pocket.

She was going to vomit.

Sirius held out his hand, fist pointed upwards, and slowly opened his fingers.

The potion was still silver, but as they watched, the silver was darkening, and Tonks' heart plummeted.

 _Please no._


	20. Chapter 20

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

* * *

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

 _ **So in my mind, Teddy is born during the first or second week of April- and hahaha the full moon is the second week**_

* * *

And then there it was. The silver had darkened, but it had become a dark _gold_.

Undeniably, the vial was now filled with a gold potion.

"The book should have specified it would turn dark either way." Sirius said. "When I saw it darkening, I thought..."

"Me too." Remus said, but he sounded relieved. "But there it is, he's mine."

Tonks burst into tears, the relief overwhelming. She kissed the baby's forehead, smiling through her tears. She had thought it didn't matter, she loved her son anyway, but now... She hadn't thought she could love this baby more, she didn't think it was possible, but somehow it was. This was Remus' child, she repeated to herself, her smile widening.

Remus leaned towards her, pressing a kiss to her hair, and when she looked up, she saw he had tears on his cheeks too.

"I'm a father." Remus said, sounding as if he couldn't believe it. "He's mine."

"So, what's his name, then?" Sirius asked.

Tonks looked at Remus for a minute. "Edward."

"Our Teddy." Remus said.

"Teddy Remus Lupin?" Tonks asked, and Remus nodded.

"Anything you want, love."

"Alright, I'll leave you three alone now." Sirius said standing. "You need time as a family."

"You _are_ family, Sirius." Tonks said, but he waved her off, leaving.

Remus stood too. "Dora, I should ask Harry." He said. "You'll be alright for a few minutes?"

She nodded.

"I can put him in the crib first, if you'd like." Remus said and she shook her head. She really didn't want to let go of Teddy, whose hair was now a ginger colour. "Alright, well, when I get back, I'll take him so you can get some rest."

He left after Sirius, and wasn't gone long. She wasn't sure if he was just eager to properly hold his son for the first time, or wanted her to get rest right away, but he was quick to join her again, still looking the happiest she had ever seen him.

"Can I hold my son now, Mrs Lupin?" Remus asked, sitting next to her on the bed. "You need rest, you look exhausted."

She relinquished her hold on Teddy, who never noticed he had even changed parents, and Tonks found herself beginning to doze off after a few minutes. She shifted so she was laying down. She fell asleep watching Remus as he held Teddy, talking quietly, smiling, almost looking younger than he usually did.

* * *

Tonks was amazed by how much research Remus had actually done. She hadn't ever read through his notebook fully, but he had really looked into _everything_. The plus side to having magic to heal was that she wasn't dealing with the usual soreness between her legs that would have accompanied Muggle births. Instead, the only sore parts were her abdomen, which only compared to very mild period pains in her opinion- and they were only barely noticeable for a day and a half anyway- and the bleeding just felt like a heavier period, and her breasts felt extremely sore but she had read it was normal to be uncomfortable as her milk came in. Remus helped her in every way that he could. He massaged her abdomen to help with the mild cramping she felt, he (gladly)held Teddy if she needed short breaks or naps, he even(somehow) easily agreed to handle the nappy changes. Tonks was sure if they had opted to bottle feed Teddy, Remus would handle that too.

He waited until the morning after Teddy's birth to go and tell Order members, but wasn't gone long. He asked Bill to tell the rest of the Weasleys, and ended up only visiting Kingsley and a couple of other members before returning. Molly had apparently found some old baby clothes she had used and had also made some, leaving them with Bill to give to Remus and Tonks, unsure if they had been able to get any- and truth was, they hadn't gotten many. They had focused on getting cloth diapers, a few things they knew they'd need for the crib, and ended up getting only one or two onesies.

She didn't leave their smaller tent at all for two days, alternating her time between bonding with Teddy, resting and trying to cope with the new feelings and physical changes she felt.

Remus spent most of the days with her as well, leaving to get them food to make sure they both ate, and after a while simply bringing over a couple of meals so that neither had to leave. The full moon was once again approaching, and he made sure to take Wolfsbane, and fought through his usual symptoms just to help her.

The happiness the new parents should have felt early in the pregnancy was evident now, amplified by the fact Teddy wouldn't inherit Lycanthropy at all, and it seemed contagious. When Sirius joined them for a couple of hours on the second day, and the trio came to meet Teddy, they were all happy, and no one brought up the Horcruxes.

When they were all together in the smaller tent, Sirius conjured a couple of extra chairs so they could all sit. Hermione immediately adored Teddy, and she became the third person to ever hold him. She had glanced at Tonks when she took Teddy, who was leaning over the armchair that Hermione was sitting in to position her arms, a silent question passing between the two women.

"His _father_ is very happy." She said quietly as she straightened up and went to sit beside Remus on the couch, and Hermione smiled, understanding. Teddy began to fuss after laying calmly in Hermione's arms for nearly half an hour, but Tonks had fallen asleep curled up against Remus, so Sirius took Teddy because it didn't look like either parent would be any time moving soon.

"We'll wake her if he's hungry." Remus said, and Sirius nodded. "Or is he just fussing for the sake of fussing?"

"Other than feeding, we can handle it. We helped with Harry, didn't we?" Sirius asked. "I think he's tired, I can try putting him to bed?"

Remus nodded, and then spoke when Sirius had walked away. "Help isn't the word I'd use for what we did when you were young, Harry." Remus said.

"What word would you use?" Harry asked.

"We were more of a nuisance to poor Lily." Remus said. "However, we spent a lot of time with you, learned a lot of the different crying- through a lot of trial and error- but your poor mother, she got so annoyed by us sometimes, she's kick us out of the house even if we had barely just arrived. Didn't mind the help a lot of the time, though, so it was a shame we stopped going by so much as you got older, but the Order needed us."

"I was right." Sirius said, as he walked back to sit in his chair at the small table. "He's asleep now. At least Dora has two people around who have been near babies before."

Remus shrugged. "At the risk of sounding biased, I'd say she's been a natural so far." He said. "I imagine once she's more recovered, she'll hardly need my help, considering how long it took her to let me properly hold him for the first time."

Sirius laughed quietly. "Considering everything that happened, we shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, her mother was the same way. I sneaked out, right before third year, to visit Andromeda and Ted- met Dora for the first time, she was nearly five months old by that point. Ted offered to take her for some reason, Andromeda refused to let him take her. However, I think Dora and Ted ended up being closer than Dora and Andromeda. Although, that reminds me, this whole Metamorphmagi thing is exciting for now, when it's just his hair and eyes that may shift- but the things I saw Dora doing. Hair, eyes, skin colour- she was a new kid every time I visited. Then again, I didn't visit as often as I meant to, so she _was_ older each time..."

* * *

Shortly after the trio and Sirius returned to the bigger tent to give Remus time to get some sleep while Tonks and Teddy did, he carried Tonks to the bed, startling her awake when he lifted her.

"Remus- what-"

"You fell asleep on the couch, only a few minutes after everyone sat down together." Remus said. "It's alright, love, you need rest."

"I can walk." She said, as he set her on the bed.

"I know you can." He said, pulling a thin blanket over her. "Are you sore?"

"No, I think the worst of it passed yesterday. It's fine today, thank Merlin for healing spells, I suppose. Poor Muggle women, and some do this more than once." She said. "Where's Teddy?"

"Asleep, should be asleep a few minutes longer. I'll wake you if he's hungry."

"You should probably let me do some of the bad things, Remus, like changing his nappy or getting him when he cries at night-"

"You did a lot of work the other day for us." Remus said. "Besides, you'll have to do all of that on full moon when I'm gone. I think this full moon, I'm going to get Sirius to stay here. I've had Wolfsbane, I'll be fine."

"If you've had Wolfsbane, can't you just stay here?" She asked.

Remus stood silently, looking over to where Teddy was asleep. He could, he'd be no danger, but did he want to risk it?

"Remus, it's in less than twenty four hours, just stay here." Tonks said. "Just come to bed right now, and then just stay relaxing with me tomorrow, and just stay here."

He surprised himself by nodding. "Just this month." He said. "I know I won't be much help, but I'd feel better if you weren't completely alone."

"What time is it, anyway?" Tonks asked.

"Just after three in the afternoon." Remus said, as Teddy began to whimper. "And I think someone's hungry."

"I'll get him." Tonks said, pushing the blanket off and sitting up but Remus had already walked over and scooped Teddy up.

"I'm already standing, Dora." Remus said, giving her a quick smile. He carried Teddy over to her, and she took him.

"How do you know he's hungry?" Tonks asked Remus, but Teddy was already opening and closing his mouth, so she pulled her tshirt down her shoulder, freeing her breast for Teddy to latch on.

"Subtle signs." Remus said. "I saw them with Harry, just as I heard the different cries."

"I feel bad I haven't picked up on them yet." Tonks said quietly as Teddy nursed.

"You will." Remus said. "Like I said, I spent time around Harry as a baby. Have you spent much time around babies?"

Tonks shook her head.

"So, you'll learn in your own time.'' Remus said. "And that's perfectly fine."

* * *

The next night, she left Remus alone in the curtained area that served as their bedroom, waiting until the wolf made a sound to tell her he was alright. When she heard a yip sound, she stood, carrying Teddy and walking over.

She had never encountered a transformed werewolf, and he was a little bigger than she imagined- but she realised she expected him to look more like Sirius' Animagus form. She set Teddy in his crib as the massive wolf stepped onto the bed, laying on its side, its head on the pillow.

"Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself?" She asked, laying down next to him. His amber eyes looked at her. "I know, you technically can't answer me, but I should still ask, love."

Teddy began to cry, and Tonks sighed. He had seemed restless earlier, but she had been hoping he'd quiet down a bit when she put him to bed. She picked him up, checking everything she could think of, but his crying didn't seem to end. He wasn't hungry, he didn't need to be changed, he was just _crying_.

"Well, I suppose I'm not sleeping tonight either.'' She said to Remus after two hours of nearly constant crying, who was watching her carefully. "I suppose the sleepless nights had to actually start sometime, right?"

* * *

Sirius hadn't been sure what to think when Remus said he'd stay here during the moon. However, both Remus and Tonks- after finally joining them for breakfast in the big tent- had insisted it was fine. They disappeared with Teddy again after breakfast, not joining them for lunch or dinner.

Sirius didn't mind, he did understand. Both looked exhausted, despite the fact Remus tried to let Tonks get as much sleep as she needed. The trio was discussing Gringotts, so Sirius stood and went over to the smaller tent, just to see if they needed anything.

The moon had been up for nearly four hours, and he had been expecting them to be asleep, but Tonks was pacing in the living room area, Teddy crying in her arms. Remus was laying on the ground near her, his head on his paws.

"Well, I know that other times when Remus has Wolfsbane, he's usually asleep by now." Sirius said, and Tonks looked at him.

"Neither of us will sleep tonight, I don't think." She said. "He won't stop crying."

"Want me to take him for the night?" Sirius asked. "Harry, Ron and Hermione are talking about plans for Gringotts anyway, they don't seem ready for bed anytime soon."

"I don't know..." Tonks said slowly.

"I don't mind." Sirius said, walking towards her and reaching for Teddy. "And you two can come get him whenever you're awake in the morning."

"I- what if he gets hungry?" Tonks asked.

"I'll come and get you." Sirius said. "Just for tonight, Dora, I'm not taking him forever. I did watch Harry overnight a couple of times..."

She finally nodded, handing the crying baby to Sirius. She seemed more likely to agree with them if they mentioned they had helped with Harry, as if she forgot they had been around babies this young before. He supposed it was because she focused so much on Teddy being _her_ child throughout the pregnancy, just to ignore the possibility he was Rodolphus', that she had forgotten there were two other people who were willing to help her with Teddy.

"Get some sleep you two, you both looked like _shite_ earlier." Sirius said, heading out of the tent with Teddy still crying in his arms. Hermione stood when he entered, walking over immediately to transfigure a dining table chair into a temporary crib.

"They need sleep, desperately." Sirius said. "You three saw how they were earlier today when they joined us for breakfast, now add a fussy to baby to that."

"Do you think it has anything to do with Remus' condition?" Hermione asked.

"I would imagine there'll be some kind of partial infection.'' Sirius said, but Teddy had already begun to quiet down. "Or he was just picking up on their moods."

"Can they do that?" Harry asked, as Sirius set Teddy down in the crib Hermione had conjured blankets in.

"Marlene McKinnon was killed shortly before your first birthday." Sirius said. "I remember I had gone over there the day we all found out, your mother cried all day, James was upset. You were fussy all day, none of us could get you calm. So yes, I believe- to a certain extent- children can pick up on their parents' moods."

Sirius watched as Teddy yawned, and his eyes drifted shut.

"Well, it had to be one of two things." Sirius said. "Either Dora's mood was making him fuss, or it's a partial infection and he could feel that there was a transformed werewolf near by. At least they'll all get sleep now, although I wouldn't put it past Dora to not sleep just because he's over here and she's not. I hope you three aren't planning on sleeping much tonight, newborns cry every couple of hours."

Sirius did end up having to get Tonks a few times that night, and when she picked him up, he became even fussier. She'd feed him with a blanket covering her, and then she handed him off to Sirius and he calmed down immediately, prompting her to say he must just hate her. Sirius could tell she tried to pass it off as a joke, but when she turned to leave he couldn't help but notice she looked genuinely upset by Teddy's mood.

* * *

 _ **So, I /think/ this is the second to last chapter. I have the end planned out, so I believe next chapter is the final.**_

 _ **And I apologise in advance.**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**So, a formal warning: This story will contain abuse, non-con/rape, dark themes, it will not contain graphic descriptions of such, it'll be more implied.**_

 _ **But it will also have Sirius, Remadora and... I think that's it.**_

 _ **I don't own HP, and I took inspiration from what Remus says in HBP: "Albus needed a spy, and here I was, ready-made."**_

 _ ****I am still working on Chaos After the Storm and The Auror Chronicles, I'm just having slight plot issues****_

* * *

 _ *************I do not own the Deathly Hallows content you see in this chapter**_

 _ **Also, this chapter will be shorter than the rest. Sorry, not sorry.**_

* * *

Hermione stared at the wand as she sat on the couch while Sirius and Tonks stared at her, both trying to figure the best way to fix the problem they now had. She really hated the wand, she realised, and she knew no one in their group enjoyed seeing it, so she had kept it hidden in her beaded bag until the morning they were planning to leave.

They had planned to leave before the sun was even up, and Griphook knew where to wait for them. Hermione felt bad that Tonks and Remus had gotten up to help the group get ready to leave, but she was also sure neither had been sleeping past dawn anyway, they just never came to their tent until later. Tonks had been a little quiet and withdrawn since the full moon two weeks before, but no one mentioned it, and she still seemed interested in helping them get ready to leave for Gringotts.

Hermione took the Polyjuice Potion twenty minutes before they were going to leave, just to make sure it was Bellatrix's hair she had found and not Tonks'. She figured there was enough potion to last her three hours, which would be enough time to get in and get out. Hopefully.

Unfortunately, they discovered it wasn't Bellatrix's hair at all, it _was_ Tonks' and that meant they had even more work to do.

"I'm sorry, we all just have such similar hair in this family.'' Tonks said as she sat on the couch and faced Hermione. "However, if I age you a few years, fix your nose, you could pass-"

"You need her to age like Bellatrix, though. Otherwise we'll have Andromeda instead." Sirius said.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Sirius, but that may be the closest we get." Tonks said.

"Better to age like Andromeda than Bellatrix, I suppose." Sirius said. "And I mean that, Dora, age like your mother or we'll all suffer."

Tonks looked down at the book of spells she had on her lap. "There's a spell to transfigure your body as well, we'll need that, Bellatrix is far skinnier than I currently am."

They weren't able to leave when they wanted to, because twenty minutes wasn't enough time, even when Hermione helped Tonks after a while. It took an hour and a half to get Hermione looking like Bellatrix, but even then, she still appeared to be slightly too young and healthy looking.

They just had to hope no one would notice the small details, and hoped that the transfiguration may make the Polyjuice last just a little longer. Sirius transfigured Ron's looks for him, and Remus had transfigured a set of Tonks' Auror robes to be passable as Death Eater robes for Hermione while Sirius transfigured a set of his for Ron.

And then the trio left, finally Apparating to Shell Cottage, and then once they met with Griphook, to Diagon Alley.

* * *

"It's been hours." Sirius said, frowning. "And we haven't heard anything. Something must be wrong. I should have gone with them-"

"It would have been suspicious." Tonks said. "Sirius, they'll come back when it's safe."

"We should have made sure they could send a message with a patronus." Sirius said. "Or I should have gone with them."

Remus and Tonks exchanged looks, but were saved from having to say anything else because Teddy began to cry.

"I'll take him." Tonks said, standing. "I'll feed him, and then we'll both go to bed. Remus, are you...?"

"I'll stay here a while longer." Remus said, and she nodded, leaving the tent. When he was sure she was gone, he turned to Sirius. "I think I figured it out."

"Figured what out?" Sirius asked.

"Why she's been so quiet."

"Oh?"

"I think she's finally mourning." Remus said. "I was getting worried, because she didn't seem to be mourning either of her parents. I think she was waiting until Teddy was born."

"But she seemed fine until the moon-"

"The next morning, she was upset." Remus explained. "She was upset that she couldn't quiet Teddy, but you could. She was worried she wasn't meant to be a mother. And then, she got really upset because she realised she couldn't ask her own mother for advice."

"But it's good." Sirius said. "If she's finally mourning, it's good."

Remus nodded. "I'm just hoping she'll be alright by the end of this war. I couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she lost anyone else. I'm worried about Harry for the same reason."

"Well, they won't. We'll all still be here."

* * *

At some point during the night, Teddy had decided he needed to simply be held, so they were still awake, Tonks holding him, leaning against Remus. It was peaceful, just the two of them.

The trio hadn't returned by the time Remus had left the bigger tent, and Sirius had told him he'd come tell the two of them when they did finally return, but so far Sirius hadn't, and neither could decide if it was a good or not.

Perhaps they had gotten in, gotten out, with a Horcrux and were resting before returning. Perhaps they had been captured, or worse. There was no way of knowing, not until someone contacted them.

However, inside the tent, it felt as if the war was so far away, perhaps it didn't even exist anymore. The war couldn't reach them, not right now.

A flash of silver shot into the tent. Tonks sat up gently so she didn't wake Teddy, Remus grabbed his wand. The silver shifted, becoming a lynx, Kingsley's deep voice filling the tent.

 **"Harry's at Hogwarts, possible Death Eater attack. Order to meet at the Hog's Head."**

* * *

 _I know this chapter is shorter than the rest(or, the revised versions anyway lmao)_

 _And I'm sorry(not sorry) for where I ended it._

 _I will be publishing a sequel, actually, that will follow a series of events taking place AFTER the final battle. (And I'm not sorry about it)_

 _Thanks for reading, and thanks for the reviews!_


	22. Chapter 22

hello, followers/favs!

I know I promised a sequel/ending.

I am SO sorry!

However, I am rewriting this story, and adding new details(merging with my Raising the Rainbow story)

So, basically:

Same story, but Tonks' parents are already dead and it's Alastor/Kingsley who raised her

Similar storyline, new details, basically.

AND, AN ACTUAL ENDING!


End file.
